Hanoi (VNA) – All people living in northern mountainouslocalities with high risks of natural disasters such as torrential rains,landslides, flash flood, damaging cold and flood, are expected to be moved to saferplaces by 2025.
According to Vu Xuan Thanh, deputy head of the Department of NaturalDisaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, communications will be strengthened among the community and governmentsin risky areas to enhance their knowledge and skills in natural disasterprevention and response.
A number of measures have been implemented to minimise loss of humanlives and property due to the disasters, including installing early warningsystems in high-risk areas, building landslides maps and planting warning signs,said Thanh.
He noted that national disaster response drills have been held annually,while documents guiding local households to prepare for natural disasters havebeen delivered.
In the last 20 years, 300 flash floods and landslides have ravagednorthern mountainous localities with increasing heavy losses.
Notably, a flood in Nam Lay stream in Lai Chau in June, 1990 left 82 peopledead or missing. Eleven people died and went missing in another one in September2013 in Sa Pa district of Lao Cai, while flood and landslides in Lao Cai inFebruary 2016 also killed 15 people.-VNA