Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has sent a dispatch to ministries, agencies and localities affected by torrential rains and flooding, asking them to focus on responding to and dealing with flood consequences.

The dispatch clarified that since September 25, due to the impact from a low depression, many northern and north-central localities have suffered torrential rains which were measured at 500mm in some places, causing floods and landslides, blocking streets and disrupting production and daily activities of locals, especially in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh province.

Torrential rains are forecast to continue in coming days, posing high risks of flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas.

In order to ensure safety for people’s life and property, PM Chinh asked the National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue as well as leaders of ministries, ministry-level agencies and heads of the People’s Committees of provinces to focus on promptly settle flood consequences.

Heads of the People’s Committees of affected localities were requested to evacuate people in areas with high risks of flash flood and landslides, while providing affected households with food and necessities, making sure that no one face food shortage.

The Government leader ordered urgent measures to ensure safety for people in travelling through areas with a risk of landslides, and protect the safety of works under construction, dams and reservoirs, while standing ready to roll out search and rescue activities.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment was requested to give timely alerts of rains, landslides and flash flood, while the Minister of Transport was asked to ensure traffic safety in areas affected by flooding as well as smooth travelling activities in major transport routes.

At the same time, the ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade, and Health were asked to coordinate with localities to protect the safety of dams, reservoirs as well as environmental sanitation, supporting affected households in resuming production and stablising after the disasters, avoiding the outbreak of epidemics.

The National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue, as well as the Ministry of Natural Defence and Public Security were directed to work closely together and with affected localities to roll out search and rescue activities in a timely and effective manner.

Meanwhile, the National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control was demanded to keep a close eye on the situation and remind localities to implement natural disaster prevention and control and consequence fixing activities, minimising losses from the disaster.

According to National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, as of 8am on September 28, torrential rains and thunder killed a local in Trieu Phong district of Quang Tri province, injuring seven people and leaving one missing. Two houses in Nghe An were totally destroyed, while 279 others were damaged. Many roads were also damaged. The disasters also killed 2,388 cattle and poultry, while floods swept away three fish cages and affected 2,000 fruit trees./.