Directive No. 06/CT-TTg on natural disaster prevention, flood, storm control, and search and rescue operations in 2012

DIRECTIVE

ON THE WORK OF PREVENTING AND COMBATING NATURAL DISASTERS, FLOODS, AND STORMS AND SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS IN 2012

In 2011, the Government, the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control, and the National Committee for Search and Rescue promptly and thoroughly directed efforts to prevent and combat natural disasters, mitigate their consequences, and contribute significantly to reducing losses. Given the increasingly extreme and unpredictable nature of natural disasters, which are difficult to forecast, the Prime Minister requests the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control, the National Committee for Search and Rescue, relevant ministries, sectors, and provincial people's committees under the central government to implement the following tasks proactively in 2012:

1. Organize the summary and draw lessons from the work of preventing and combating floods and storms and search and rescue operations in 2011, on this basis develop plans and tasks for 2012 that closely align with actual conditions and take into account unusual factors due to climate change; consolidate and improve the structure of the Steering Committees and Command Centers for Flood and Storm Prevention and Search and Rescue at all levels from central to grassroots.

2. Continue implementing the National Strategy for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Response until 2020, the Master Plan for Search and Rescue Operations until 2015 with a vision to 2020, and the Project to Enhance Community Awareness and Disaster Management Based on Community Participation. Integrate disaster prevention, climate change adaptation, and sea level rise mitigation into sectoral and local planning projects. Conduct campaigns to raise community awareness about various types of natural disasters and preventive measures; provide supplementary knowledge and disseminate experience in disaster prevention and response to newly appointed officials responsible for these areas.

3. Provincial People's Committees under the Central Government:

Review, update, and identify dangerous areas during rainfall, floods, and storms within the administrative region (including flood discharge areas downstream of reservoirs), proactively relocate residents out of danger zones; if long-term resettlement has not been organized, prepare evacuation plans and be ready to implement them when necessary. Recheck forces, equipment, materials, and funds to effectively implement the principle of "four localities"; proactively stockpile food, medicine, and essential supplies in areas frequently isolated by rain and floods down to each village and commune; arrange rescue equipment and materials and emergency funds at the district level.

- Provinces and cities with dykes must complete repairs, maintenance, and upkeep of the dyke, levee, and sluice systems within their territories before the rainy season; mobilize resources to accelerate progress on flood control and drainage projects, reinforce and upgrade dyke systems. Inspect and evaluate the current state of dykes, levees, and sluices, develop protection plans for key and vulnerable areas; deploy forces, materials, and equipment to be ready for dyke rescue operations when incidents occur during the rainy season.

- Coastal provinces and cities must inspect and review the registration and inspection of fishing vessels and transport and tourist boats according to their respective levels; coordinate with border guard forces along the coast to check technical conditions and safety equipment on vessels before they set sail (especially communication devices and life-saving equipment), ensuring that unsafe vessels do not go to sea; actively grasp the number of vessels and fishermen from their locality still operating at sea during typhoons and tropical depressions to guide safe movement and sheltering.

- Mountainous and midland provinces must implement measures to warn of potential flash floods, landslides, and soil erosion, equip communication devices and information dissemination tools to villages and hamlets to serve warning purposes and search and rescue operations in emergencies.

- Southern provinces must focus on repairing breached embankments and dikes damaged during the 2011 flood season, continue adjusting planting schedules to avoid floods and protect production; review plans to ensure the safety of lives, especially the elderly, children, and women.

4. The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control: Inspect the preparation for flood and storm prevention and search and rescue operations in 2012 in localities, particularly plans to ensure the safety of dykes, dams, residents, and the allocation of materials and equipment according to the principle of "four localities." Train technical skills for specialized forces and county-level cadres in flood and storm prevention. Gradually modernize the office and enhance equipment to meet requirements for timely and accurate advisory and command in disaster prevention and response. Continue implementing regulations on earthquake reporting and tsunami warnings and regulations on earthquake and tsunami prevention. Direct the implementation of disaster prevention and response drills according to plans.

5. The National Committee for Search and Rescue: Check the quantity and types of equipment and materials currently available for search and rescue operations at regional centers and centrally governed provinces and cities. Submit to the Prime Minister for prompt provision, issuance, and equipping of essential equipment and facilities for relevant ministries, sectors, and localities before the rainy and storm seasons to proactively respond to natural disaster scenarios. Continue implementing projects to supplement and upgrade search and rescue equipment according to plans, ensuring sufficient quantities for national reserves, suitable for specific search and rescue needs in each region. Take the lead and coordinate with related units and localities to organize training and drills for search and rescue operations. Urgently prepare well for the ASEAN Regional Emergency Response Drill in 2013.

6. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in conjunction with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, shall take the lead and coordinate with localities where irrigation and hydropower reservoirs are located to inspect and evaluate the safety level of each reservoir before the rainy season and typhoon season; direct repairs and address incidents to ensure the safety of the reservoirs; test the operation of gates and equipment for flood discharge, arrange backup equipment, ensuring that flood discharge facilities operate normally under all conditions. For reservoirs that do not meet safety standards, measures such as reducing capacity or not storing water during the rainy and typhoon seasons must be implemented. Direct reservoir owners and management units to closely cooperate with the Flood Control and Search and Rescue Command of the locality in developing and approving plans for flood control and typhoon prevention, ensuring the safety of the reservoirs and downstream areas; organize drills for flood discharge operations (for reservoirs significantly affecting residents during flood discharge) to check coordination, notification, warning, and evacuation procedures; implement reservoir operations according to the approved procedures and provide timely and complete information related to reservoir operations as required.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Inspect and urge localities to complete dike repair, maintenance, and upkeep before the rainy season, accelerate the implementation progress of the program to upgrade river and sea dikes. Direct and guide localities in building and approving plans to protect dikes, residents, and critical weak points during natural disasters; manage fishing vessels effectively, accurately grasp the number of vessels operating at sea (especially distant-water fishing vessels); disseminate and guide anchoring techniques for vessels in storm shelters.

- The Ministry of Industry and Trade: Direct the Vietnam Electricity Corporation to coordinate with local authorities and hydropower reservoir owners to establish regulations for organizing reservoir operations according to approved procedures, contributing to reducing floods downstream and ensuring the safety of facilities. Direct the stockpiling of essential goods and supplies, particularly food and drinking water, ready to supply disaster-stricken areas upon request.

7. The Ministry of National Defense: Direct the preparation of forces and equipment to be ready to execute emergency response tasks regarding floods and typhoons; rescue dikes and dams when incidents occur; participate in search and rescue operations; assist localities in mitigating the aftermath of natural disasters, ensuring that the military is the main force in disaster prevention, mitigation, and recovery. Direct border guard forces to coordinate with coastal local authorities in checking the provision of equipment to ensure the safety of fishermen operating at sea as prescribed; coordinate with the Coastal Radio Station and local authorities to accurately track the number and location of vessels at sea, guiding their movement during storms and tropical depressions; prepare forces and equipment to participate in search and rescue operations when incidents occur.

8. The Ministry of Public Security shall direct the development of plans to ensure security and social order when natural disasters, floods, and typhoons occur; coordinate with local authorities in evacuating residents, participating in rescue operations, helping residents mitigate the aftermath of natural disasters; deploy forces to manage traffic flow and guide transportation in affected areas, controlling vehicles passing through flooded sections of roads.

9. The Ministry of Transport: Prepare means and personnel to ensure transportation on major routes in all situations during natural disasters, floods, and typhoons; stockpile materials in key areas to promptly respond to and replace damaged bridges, roads, ports, etc., due to natural disasters; develop traffic diversion plans for specific regions. Direct subordinate agencies and localities to review transportation infrastructure affected by flood drainage to implement appropriate measures; review and improve registration, inspection, and management of inland waterway transport activities, guiding anchoring techniques for vessels during storms, tropical depressions, and floods to minimize damage from natural disasters.

10. The Ministry of Construction: Review construction standards and regulations for housing to proactively respond to natural disasters; continue implementing the Program for constructing clusters and resettling populations and housing in frequently flooded areas in the Mekong Delta, and the project to enhance living conditions in frequently flooded areas in Central Vietnam.

11. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment: Continue completing the establishment of inter-reservoir operation procedures on river basins as prescribed; monitor, inspect, and check the implementation of issued operation procedures, timely adjusting them to fit actual conditions. Direct the National Hydro-Meteorological Center to effectively organize forecasting and issuing warnings about tropical depressions, typhoons, floods, improving the content and format of forecast information suitable for different recipients; monitor and forecast early flood flows into reservoirs to serve effective flood control operations.

12. The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology shall direct the Institute of Geophysics in collecting and processing information to promptly report earthquake news and tsunami warnings to relevant ministries, sectors, localities, and the public for preventive measures.

13. The Ministry of Information and Communications: Ensure uninterrupted communication networks for flood control, typhoon prevention, and search and rescue operations in all situations; direct radio and television stations and mass media outlets to promptly and accurately disseminate warning, forecast, and notification information about natural disasters and instructions for responding from competent authorities; continue implementing programs to promote knowledge about disaster prevention and avoidance.

14. Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, and other mass media shall closely coordinate with forecasting agencies, the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control, the National Search and Rescue Committee, and relevant agencies to promptly and accurately disseminate information on the development of natural disasters, floods, storms, and directives from the Prime Minister, the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control, and the National Search and Rescue Committee to ministries, sectors, and localities; implement programs to popularize knowledge and raise community awareness about types of natural disasters and preventive measures.

15. The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance shall allocate and prioritize funds for disaster prevention and control projects, search and rescue operations: upgrading embankments in vulnerable areas according to the program to reinforce and upgrade river and sea dikes; repairing and upgrading water reservoirs that do not meet safety standards; relocating residents out of dangerous zones; handling landslides to protect embankments, concentrated residential areas, and infrastructure; purchasing search and rescue equipment. At the same time, they shall allocate contingency budgets to support ministries, sectors, and localities in quickly mitigating aftermaths and restoring production following natural disasters.

16. Ministries and sectors shall, within their respective functions and tasks, be responsible for effectively directing and implementing disaster prevention and control, flood and storm control, and search and rescue operations, as well as mitigating consequences caused by natural disasters, floods, and storms within their own scope; at the same time, prepare necessary forces, means, and materials to participate in disaster prevention and control, flood and storm control, and search and rescue operations according to the directives of the Prime Minister, the Head of the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control, and the Chairman of the National Search and Rescue Committee.

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-affiliated agencies, and chairpersons of provincial and municipal people's committees directly under the central government shall be responsible for strictly organizing and directing the implementation of this Directive.