Prompt efforts urged to overcome aftermath of Tropical Storm Noul

In a telegram issued on September 19, Deputy PM Dung, who heads the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, extended his regards and sympathy to the authorities and people in storm-hit localities.

He urged focus on treating those injured due to the storm, providing assistance for severely affected households, mobilising forces to help people rebuild their collapsed houses, and doing environmental cleanup to restore transport, production and daily activities after the natural disaster.

The Standing Board of the Central Steering Committee, the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response and Search and Rescue, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment were asked to continue closely monitoring the developments of floods and issue timely warnings to sectors and localities in order to prepare appropriate response plans.

The Deputy PM requested the Ministries of Defence and Public Security to direct their locally stationed units to arrange the forces and means to assist local people in promptly addressing the aftermath of the storm.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should direct the restoration of damaged irrigation works and the work of ensuring the safety of irrigation dams and lakes, while the Ministry of Industry and Trade is responsible for directing Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to quickly repair and restore the power system to serve production and people’s daily lives, he said.

Deputy PM Dung asked the Ministry of Transport to direct the immediate remedy of landslides on major traffic routes, especially along the Ho Chi Minh Road, National Highways and Provincial Roads.

According to the Central Steering Committee, as of 6pm on September 19, floods and heavy rains in central provinces had killed three and injured 112 others, while deroofing more than 22,500 houses and damaging 1,715 hectares of rice and 1,561 hectares of crops.

As a result of heavy downpours, many hydroelectric plants in Nghe An Province on September 19 discharged water to ensure safety. Water discharge reached 76-700 cubic metres per second at the Chau Thang Hydropower Plant and 500-1,000 cubic metres per second at the Nhan Hac and Khe Bo Hydropower Plants.

On September 19, EVN said that the 220-500 kV power grid in the storm-affected localities has operated normally, while urgent efforts are being made to address several minor incidents with the 110 kV grid without affecting transformer substations’ power supply.

A landslide occurred at Km83+450 on a section of National Highway 8A through Son Kim 1 Commune, Huong Son District, Ha Tinh Province at 7pm on September 18, causing traffic congestion. By the morning of the following day, the incident was completely remedied by local authorities.

On Saturday, Secretary of the Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee Le Quang Tung visited and presented gifts to affected families in Hai Lang District, the hardest hit locality in the province. He asked Hai Lang and other affected districts to immediately mobilise forces to help people fix their houses, overcome the consequences of the natural disaster, soon stabilise their lives and restore production activities.