Pay attention to the arrangement and stabilization of residents in disaster areas.

Emergency evacuation of people in flash flood areas

Early last August, due to the impact of prolonged storms and floods, flash floods and serious landslides occurred in Muong La district. The floods killed 1 person, injured 4 people, and damaged and affected more than 200 houses... Of which, Na Lech village, Chieng Lao commune was the most severely damaged locality, with 23 households in Na Lech village having to be urgently evacuated in just one night.

Every year, Muong La district has supported communes in surveying safe locations and allocating budget resources to build resettlement areas.

As soon as the flood occurred, Muong La established inspection teams to grasp the damage situation and promptly direct the recovery work. Along with that, the district established a Command Center to direct natural disaster recovery in Chieng Lao commune; mobilized forces with the motto "4 on-site" to support households at high risk of landslides to move people and property to safe places. To ensure the safety of the people, the district arranged food and accommodation for the households in need of evacuation, ensuring adequate provision of food, provisions, and necessities for the people.

At the same time as overcoming the consequences, Muong La district conducted a survey and urgently implemented the project to arrange and relocate residents in the disaster area of Tang Khe village, Chieng Lao commune, with an expected scale of 23 households and a total investment of 12,500 million VND; the project to arrange and relocate residents in the disaster area of Ket village, Ta Bu commune, with an expected scale of 16 households and a total investment of 7,000 million VND.

After only two months, dozens of solid houses ensuring safety and stability were built, along with investment in auxiliary works such as electricity, roads, water... to help people quickly stabilize their lives after the natural disaster.

Muong La is a locality that is frequently affected by flash floods, landslides. The whole district has 16 communes and towns, more than 21,000 households, over 90% of the population are ethnic minorities, mainly Thai, Mong, La Ha, Khang...

According to Vice Chairman of Muong La District People's Committee Nguyen Van Tam, identifying the arrangement and stabilization of residents in disaster-affected areas as one of the key tasks, every year, the district has implemented many mechanisms and policies to support communes in surveying safe locations, allocating budget sources to build resettlement areas to ensure safety for people before the flood season. Currently, Muong La is speeding up the construction progress of 6 residential arrangement projects, ensuring the relocation of people to new places in 2023 and the following years.

Suoi Dinh resettlement area, Phu Yen district, stabilizes the population for 90 households.

Also a locality heavily affected by flash floods, landslides, Phu Yen district has reviewed key areas at risk of flash floods, areas with frequent flooding, from which to develop a project to arrange and relocate concentrated, safe, and prevent natural disasters for the period 2021-2025. The goal is to complete the arrangement of 5 concentrated resettlement sites, 2 mixed resettlement sites, and stabilize 264 households and more than 1,300 people by the end of 2025. To date, 4/5 concentrated resettlement sites have been arranged.

Ms. Dinh Thi Thu Ha, Vice Chairman of Phu Yen District People's Committee, said: To implement the work of resettlement of residents in disaster areas, the District People's Committee has mobilized the participation of mass organizations and social organizations to propagate the policies of the Party and State to the community, so that all people understand, agree, share, support and help households subject to relocation. At the same time, it has created high consensus and unanimity in implementing site clearance, facilitating the commencement, construction and completion of projects on schedule.

To create that consensus, the district organizes propaganda and dissemination to households in the area that need to reorganize the population to understand the State's support policies for households participating in the project, publicly announcing the policies enjoyed by each subject so that households can confidently participate in the implementation. At the same time, continue to review locations with high risks of natural disaster prevention and control safety to propose priority implementation of population relocation and arrangement projects.

Review and identify areas at risk of natural disasters

According to the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, implementing the Plan for Population Arrangement and Stabilization in Son La province until 2020, with a vision to 2025, Son La has deployed the arrangement and stabilization of 171 residential areas with 4,705 households.

In recent years, Son La province has focused on implementing projects to relocate residents in disaster areas.

Of which, 1,395 households were stabilized in place and 3,310 households were relocated. Along with the planning, arrangement and stabilization of the population, the province also focused on investing in infrastructure development and supporting people in socio-economic development to soon stabilize their lives and production.

However, according to records from localities, the arrangement of residential areas in many districts is still facing difficulties due to complex terrain, steep slopes, finding locations that meet the needs of arranging hundreds of households is very difficult. Along with that, the traffic system and infrastructure for constructing residential areas are still limited.

To proactively respond to unusual, complex, and unpredictable developments of natural disasters and minimize damage caused by natural disasters, in the coming time, the People's Committee of Son La province has assigned the People's Committees of districts and cities to closely monitor the developments of floods and rains to proactively direct timely and effective response.

In areas where landslides and flash floods have been detected, resolutely evacuate people and property from dangerous areas or have plans to ensure safety of life, limit damage to people and property, and avoid passive and unexpected situations.

The province deployed shock troops to inspect and review residential areas along rivers, streams, and low-lying areas to proactively organize the relocation and evacuation of people from areas at high risk of deep flooding, flash floods, and landslides. At the same time, support food, necessities, and accommodation according to regulations to stabilize the lives of households that lost their homes due to landslides and flash floods, and prevent people from going hungry or having no place to live.

In the coming time, the province will direct sectors and localities to continue to carefully review and promptly detect areas at risk of flash floods and landslides, especially residential areas, schools, offices, factories, etc.; Strengthen propaganda and guidance for people to recognize the risks of flash floods and landslides, and provide skills for people to proactively respond. In particular, it is necessary to pay attention to diversifying forms of propaganda and timely and appropriate guidance for ethnic minorities, especially in particularly difficult areas.

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