Directive No. 547/CT-TTg on disaster prevention, flood, storm control, and search and rescue operations in 2011

 DIRECTIVE

On flood, storm prevention and rescue work in 2011

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Due to the impact of climate change, the trend of natural disasters, floods, and storms is increasingly extreme, abnormal, and difficult to predict. To proactively implement measures for flood, storm prevention, and rescue in 2011, the Prime Minister requests the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Rescue, the National Committee for Search and Rescue, relevant ministries, sectors, and provincial people's committees to carry out the following tasks effectively:

1. Ministries, sectors, and localities shall summarize and draw lessons from flood and storm prevention work in 2010, develop plans and tasks for 2011 that closely align with the actual situation of each locality, taking into account unusual factors due to climate change, consolidate and improve the Steering Committees and Command Centers for Flood and Storm Prevention and Rescue at all levels from central to grassroots levels, especially under the condition that general elections for the National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels will be held in 2011. Continue to implement the Action Program for the Strategy on Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Response until 2020, the Master Plan for Search and Rescue until 2015 with a vision to 2020; review and adjust planning and projects to proactively prevent and mitigate natural disasters, climate change, and rising sea levels. Organize propaganda to raise community awareness about various types of natural disasters and preventive measures; supplement knowledge and disseminate experience in disaster prevention and response for newly appointed officials responsible for this field.

2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade shall take the lead and coordinate with localities where there are water reservoirs for irrigation and hydropower to inspect and assess the safety level of each reservoir before the rainy season and typhoon season, direct repairs and upgrades to ensure safety; test run gates and equipment for flood discharge, arrange backup equipment and materials, particularly ensuring sufficient backup generators to guarantee normal operation of flood discharge facilities under all conditions. For reservoirs that cannot ensure safety, reduce capacity or refrain from storing water during the rainy and typhoon seasons. Direct the owners and management units of reservoirs to cooperate with the local Flood and Storm Prevention and Rescue Command in developing and approving plans for flood and storm prevention and rescue, ensuring reservoir and downstream safety; operate reservoirs according to approved procedures and provide timely and comprehensive information related to reservoir operations as required. Inspect and urge localities to complete embankment repair and reinforcement before the rainy season. Direct and guide subordinate agencies and localities to develop and approve plans for protecting embankments in disaster scenarios, especially in key and vulnerable areas; perform well in registering, inspecting, and managing fishing vessels; review regulations on registration, inspection, and management of vessels, propose adjustments or make adjustments within their authority to strengthen management and accurately grasp the number of vessels, reducing losses caused by natural disasters; disseminate and guide anchoring techniques for vessels in storm shelters.

3. People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities.

Review, update, and identify dangerous areas when rain and storms occur in the region, proactively relocate residents out of dangerous zones to safe new settlements; if long-term resettlement has not been organized, prepare plans (specifically arranging forces, equipment, positions) ready to evacuate when necessary. Recheck forces, equipment, materials, funds, and implement the principle of "four localities"; proactively stockpile food, medicine (including both medicines and chemicals for water treatment), essential goods down to each village and commune, especially those frequently isolated by floods; allocate equipment, materials, and funds to the district level.

- Provinces and cities with embankments shall complete repairs, upgrades, maintenance, and upkeep of the embankment system on their territory before the rainy season. Assess current status, develop plans to protect key and vulnerable areas; arrange forces, materials, and equipment ready for embankment rescue when incidents occur.

- Coastal provinces and cities shall effectively implement vessel registration and inspection for fishing, transportation, and tourism vessels according to classification; coordinate with coastal border defense forces to strictly check equipment on vessels to ensure safety, especially communication devices and life-saving equipment before going to sea, preventing unqualified vessels from sailing; actively grasp the number of vessels and fishermen from their locality still operating at sea during typhoons and tropical depressions to guide them to safely avoid and shelter from storms.

- Mountainous and midland provinces shall implement measures to warn of flash floods, landslides, and other emergencies; equip communication devices and transmit information to villages and hamlets to serve warning and search and rescue operations in emergency situations.

4. The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Rescue: Inspect the preparation for flood and storm prevention and rescue work in 2011 in localities, especially plans to ensure embankment and dam safety, resident safety, and the allocation of materials, equipment, and essentials according to the principle of "four localities." Organize specialized training on flood and storm prevention and rescue techniques for dedicated forces and county-level cadres. Continue to implement the Regulation on Earthquake Reporting and Tsunami Warning and the Regulation on Earthquake and Tsunami Prevention; direct the implementation of disaster response drills according to plans.

5. The National Search and Rescue Committee: Inspects the quantity and types of equipment and materials for search and rescue currently available at regional centers, provinces, and centrally governed cities. Presents to the Prime Minister for timely issuance, provision, and equipping essential equipment and facilities for ministries, sectors, and localities before the rainy and storm seasons to proactively respond to natural disaster scenarios. Continues to implement supplementary and upgrade projects for search and rescue equipment according to plans, ensuring sufficient quantities for national reserves, suitable for specific search and rescue requirements in each region. Takes the lead and coordinates with relevant units and localities to organize training exercises for search and rescue scenarios; implements tsunami prevention drills.

6. The Ministry of National Defense: Directs the preparation of forces and equipment ready to perform emergency response tasks for flood and storm situations; rescue embankments and dams when accidents occur; participate in search and rescue operations; assist localities in mitigating the aftermath of natural disasters, floods, and storms, ensuring that the military is the main force in disaster prevention, mitigation, and recovery. Directs border guard forces to cooperate with coastal local authorities to strictly inspect the provision of safety equipment for fishermen operating at sea as prescribed, particularly communication devices and life-saving floats; coordinate with the Coastal Radio Station and local authorities to closely monitor the number and location of vessels at sea, guide their movement during storms and tropical depressions, and provide search and rescue services when incidents occur.

7. The Ministry of Public Security directs the development of plans to ensure security and social order when natural disasters, floods, and storms occur; cooperates with military forces and local authorities in evacuating residents when natural disasters occur, participating in rescue operations, and assisting residents in mitigating the aftermath of natural disasters; deploys forces and coordinates with traffic inspectors to organize traffic flow and guidance in disaster-affected areas, strictly controlling transportation vehicles through flooded sections.

8. The Ministry of Transport prepares equipment and personnel to ensure traffic in all situations when natural disasters, floods, and storms occur; arranges reserve materials in key regions along major and important transportation routes to promptly respond to and replace damaged bridges, roads, ports, etc., due to natural disasters; develops traffic diversion plans for specific areas. Directs subordinate agencies and localities to properly conduct registration, inspection, and management of inland waterway transport vessels (including cruise ships); reviews regulations on registration, inspection, and management to propose adjustments or make adjustments within authority to strengthen management and reduce losses caused by natural disasters; guides technical anchoring of vessels during storms and floods; directs a thorough understanding of the number and activities of inland waterway transport vessels during storms and tropical depressions.

9. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment continues to complete the construction of inter-reservoir operation procedures in river basins, reviews water level regulations corresponding to warning levels. Guides and organizes the implementation of Decision 17/2011/QĐ-TTg dated March 14, 2011, issued by the Prime Minister on the regulation for tropical depressions, typhoons, and floods. Directs the National Hydro-Meteorological Center to effectively organize forecasting and issuing warnings about tropical depressions, typhoons, and floods; improves the content and format of information dissemination suitable for different recipients; monitors and forecasts early flood flows into reservoirs to serve effective flood control operations.

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

11. The Ministry of Information and Communications ensures uninterrupted communication networks for flood, storm prevention, and search and rescue operations in all situations; directs radio and television stations and mass media to promptly disseminate warning, forecast, and notification information about natural disasters and instructions from competent authorities on response measures; implements programs to promote knowledge about natural disaster prevention and avoidance.

12. The Ministry of Industry and Trade directs the Vietnam Electricity Corporation to cooperate with local authorities and hydropower reservoir owners to develop safety assurance plans for reservoirs, organize operations according to approved procedures, contributing to reducing downstream flooding, ensuring the safety of facilities; implements storage of essential goods, including food and drinking water, ready to supply affected areas by natural disasters, floods, and storms upon request.

13. Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, and other mass media closely cooperate with forecasting and warning agencies, the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention, the National Search and Rescue Committee, and related agencies to accurately and promptly disseminate information about the development of natural disasters, floods, and storms and instructions from the Prime Minister, the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention, and the National Search and Rescue Committee to ministries, sectors, and localities; implement programs to popularize knowledge and raise community awareness about various types of natural disasters and preventive measures.

14. The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance balance and report to the Prime Minister for prioritizing capital allocation for urgent projects serving disaster prevention, search, and rescue, including some projects that need to be implemented soon such as investment in ensuring embankment safety, monitoring systems for reservoirs, repairing and upgrading unsafe reservoirs, relocating people from dangerous areas, constructing rescue routes in flooded areas, and search and rescue equipment. At the same time, allocate contingency budgets to support ministries, sectors, and localities in quickly recovering from disaster impacts and restoring production.

15. Ministries and sectors shall be responsible for directing and effectively implementing disaster prevention, flood, storm mitigation, search and rescue operations, and post-disaster recovery within their respective ministries and sectors; at the same time, they must prepare forces, means, and necessary materials to participate in disaster prevention, flood, storm mitigation, and search and rescue operations according to the directives of the Prime Minister, the Head of the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention, and the Chairman of the National Search and Rescue Committee.

Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairmen of provincial and municipal People's Committees directly under the central government shall be responsible for organizing and strictly implementing this Directive.