Prime Minister: Use helicopters to deliver supplies to people isolated by floods in Central Vietnam.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - The Prime Minister has directed ministries to deploy forces and resources, including helicopters, to reach and support the transportation of food and supplies to people in areas still cut off.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has just signed Official Dispatch No. 204 on continuing to comprehensively and effectively implement measures to respond to and quickly overcome the consequences of floods and heavy rains, stabilize people's lives, and restore production and business in the Central region.

Over the past week, localities in the Central region have experienced prolonged heavy rainfall over a wide area, with total rainfall exceeding 1,500mm in many places, and notably in the Bach Ma area ( Hue City) where the total rainfall measured was 5,019mm.

Heavy rains combined with high tides have caused floods on the Bo River (in Hue) and the Thu Bon River (in Da Nang ) to exceed historical flood levels. Many other rivers in the region have also surpassed alarm level 3, causing widespread and deep flooding in many communes and wards, especially in Hue and Da Nang.

The area around the Japanese Bridge in Hoi An is submerged in floodwaters (Photo: Hoai Son).

According to incomplete statistics, by the evening of October 30th, the floods had caused 22 deaths and disappearances; over 120,000 houses were flooded, many transportation routes were damaged and cut off by landslides, numerous infrastructure projects suffered heavy damage, and many areas were completely isolated.

The National Center for Hydrometeorology forecasts indicate that heavy rainfall will remain complex in the central provinces. Specifically, in Quang Tri, Ha Tinh, and Nghe An provinces, from October 30th to November 4th, due to the influence of a cold front and easterly wind disturbances, there will be heavy to very heavy rain, with localized areas receiving over 700 mm.

To effectively respond to the unusual weather developments and urgently address the consequences of the floods, the Prime Minister requested the Party Secretaries and Chairmen of the localities of Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, and Quang Tri to use all means to gather information about the situation of the people.

Local leaders need to deploy experienced soldiers, police, and volunteer forces to reach all areas cut off and isolated due to flooding and landslides in order to promptly supply food, drinking water, medicine, and essential necessities to affected households; and at the same time, arrange temporary accommodation for households that have lost their homes.

The Prime Minister directed that all available forces, vehicles, equipment, and supplies be mobilized to quickly repair the roads damaged by landslides, so that routes can be reopened to facilitate the transportation of relief goods and the movement of people.

In addition, according to government leaders, it is necessary to closely monitor and fully update information on the situation and forecast the development of floods and heavy rains so that people can proactively respond. The Prime Minister emphasized that there must be absolutely no complacency, negligence, or loss of vigilance, and that people must not be left uninformed about natural disasters;

He also noted that local authorities should review and identify areas at risk of flash floods, landslides, and deep flooding in order to promptly warn people and proactively evacuate them to safe places.

In addition, it is necessary to implement dike and dam protection measures according to the alert level; closely monitor the operation of irrigation and hydroelectric dams in the area to ensure scientific and safe operation of the structures and contribute to flood reduction and limiting flooding in downstream areas.

The Prime Minister instructed the Ministers of National Defense and Public Security to develop plans to deploy forces and resources, including helicopters, to reach and assist in transporting food, dried food, bread, milk, and other relief supplies to people in areas still cut off.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister instructed relevant ministries and agencies to take measures to mitigate the impact of floods on agricultural production, transportation, education, and other areas.

The Prime Minister assigned Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to directly supervise relevant ministries, sectors, and localities in closely monitoring the situation and promptly implementing measures to mitigate the consequences of the floods.

Deputy Prime Ministers Mai Van Chinh and Ho Quoc Dung continued to visit the affected areas, including those still isolated and facing difficulties due to landslides and flooding, and areas with serious damage, to assess the situation, direct, inspect, and resolve the response and recovery efforts following the floods, and to visit and encourage the people.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/thu-tuong-dung-truc-thang-tiep-te-cho-dan-bi-co-lap-do-mua-lu-mien-trung-20251031100218045.htm