PANO – As the season of rain and storm begins, the number of natural disasters tends to increase, threatening human lives and material losses. Against this backdrop, military units should always be ready to participate actively and effectively in natural disaster prevention and relief as well as search and rescue, Major General Truong Duc Nghia Chief of the Office of the National Committee for Search and Rescue and Chief of the Relief and Rescue under the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army said in an interview conducted by the People’s Army Newspaper.

The interview is detailed as the follows:

Reporter: Could you brief the situation of natural disasters and their consequences, and other accidents in our country since the beginning of the year?

Major General Truong Duc Nghia: It can be said that climate change is leaving negative impacts on our country. In general, natural disasters and accidents of all kinds tend to increase in terms of both intensity and scale. According to the official statistics of the Office of the National Committee for Search and Rescue, as many as 1,971 cases of natural disasters and accidents of all kinds have occurred in the country, causing 456 deaths and 109 missing and 109 injuries, sinking 195 boats, breaking 209 vehicles, burning 100 working places and 2,245 ha of forest, blowing down 710 residential homes, damaging 18,561 homes and public buildings, and destroying 198,035 ha of crops. The material losses in these natural disasters and accidents of all kinds have totaled thousands of billions of Vietnamese dongs.

In spite of good preparations, Storms No1 and No2 killed and injured dozens of casualties and a material loss of billions of Vietnamese dongs. Furthermore, a number of fires, explosions and accidents in construction sites caused heavy losses. The collapse of a residential home on August 8 in Hanoi is an example. Although military units immediately deployed their efforts and assets for search and rescue missions, two people still died in the accident. At this point of time, military and civilian forces are still dealing with consequences of heavy rains and flash floods caused by Storm No2 in Lao Cai and other northern provinces, and the reported losses have mounted to 7 deaths, 7 missing, 16 injured and VND 200 billion of material losses.

Major General Truong Duc Nghia

Reporter: What does the army, seen as a major force in natural disaster prevention and relief as well as search and rescue in accidents of all kinds, do to minimize losses caused by natural disasters and accidents?

Major General Truong Duc Nghia: The Party, State and army always pay special attention to natural disaster prevention and relief as well as search and rescue in accidents. Under the Party’s guidance, the Government has formed the National Committee for Search and Rescue and a system of search and rescue bodies in ministries, Central agencies and localities across the country. The Ministry of National Defense has its own agency, the Department of Relief and Rescue, to instruct defense agencies, military commands, and relief and rescue bodies of units to implement natural disaster prevention, relief, and search and rescue activities. The Central Military Commission and the Defense Ministry have defined natural disaster prevention, relief, search and rescue work as a combat mission of the army in peacetime.

Therefore, military units are always ready and well prepared for natural disaster prevention, relief, and search and rescue activities to protect people’s lives and assets as well as State projects, apart from their core mission of maintaining combat readiness. Military units, particularly those stationed in prone-natural disaster areas, regularly conduct exercises and drills on natural disaster prevention, relief, search and rescue under the direction of the Department of Relief and Rescue, in an effort to respond to natural disasters and accidents of all kinds more effectively. Several military units sent to international exercises on disaster relief and search and rescue were highly valued by foreign partners. 

Facts show that the army always functions as the major and core force in natural disaster prevention, relief, and search and rescue activities. In July only, the army mobilized 117,142 troops and 6,502 vehicles to address 1,597 cases of natural disasters and accidents of all kinds. The Border Guard forces of provinces from Quang Ninh to Binh Thuan successfully guided 74,596 boats and ships operating at sea to safe havens before and during storms or tropical low pressures. What is more, military maritime forces often participate in search and rescue missions for troubled fishermen operating at sea.    

Reporter: What measures should we take to prevent natural disasters in a more proactive manner and execute natural disaster relief and search and rescue missions more effectively?

Major General Truong Duc Nghia: In the face of the weather complexity due to climate change, the number of natural disasters is forecast to increase from now to the end of the year. That requires the military to proactively take comprehensive and appropriate measures to minimize the consequences of natural disasters.

First, we should always prepare for all situations and avoid being subjective and passive in preventing and responding to natural disasters. Accordingly, all people and military troops should improve our awareness of natural disaster prevention and relief. Second, weather forecast agencies should provide weather forecasts, especially about negative weather phenomena, exactly and in time while other involved bodies, units and organizations at all levels continuously inform people of developments, situations and possible impacts of negative weather phenomena, and conduct troops and people to prepare sufficient efforts and assets for possible natural disasters, and for search, rescue and relief activities during and after natural disasters, so as to minimize possible losses.

Finally, military units and involved forces should regularly drill skills of search, rescue and relief as well as practice giving first aid service and responding to emergencies.

Regarding the role of the military in preventing and relieving natural disasters and searching and rescuing victims, defense agencies and military commands at all levels should always enhance education, information and training of search, rescue and natural disaster relief for troops. They should also reserve sufficient efforts and assets for such activities.

At the same time, defense agencies and military commands at all levels should strengthen cooperation and exchange with other countries with the aim of learning more experiences, skills and material supports for natural disaster prevention and relief, and search and rescue.

Reporter: Thank you, General.

Translated by Thu Nguyen