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 At the inauguration ceremony
Through the close cooperation and support between the U.S. Embassy, U.S. Pacific Command, and the Ninh Thuan People’s Committee, this new center will help provincial authorities direct evacuations of people from vulnerable homes, stockpile emergency relief supplies, and respond in the aftermath of storms by deploying and communicating with first responders in the hardest-hit areas.  The Disaster Management Coordination Center also serves as a safe shelter from which coordinators and workers can effectively manage and coordinate relief efforts.

“While we cannot control Mother Nature, the United States and Vietnam are working together to better predict, prepare, respond to, and recover from natural disasters.  This disaster management coordination center is a testament to our commitment to help the people of Ninh Thuan,” said Deputy Chief of Mission Sutton during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

This center is one of a series of disaster coordination centers and shelters that the United States and Vietnam are building together as part of a concerted effort to strengthen Vietnam’s response and resilience to disasters in its coastal regions.

“We are proud to cooperate with the people of Ninh Thuan, and we will continue to support the Vietnamese government’s disaster relief efforts.  By pulling together resources to properly prepare, by focusing operations on highly vulnerable areas, and by coordinating through centers like this one, we can prevent loss of life and help affected communities to recover much more quickly and completely from the devastating effects of natural disasters,” Deputy Chief of Mission Sutton also noted during the event.

Since 2009, the U.S. Government, through the Overseas Humanitarian Disaster Assistance and Civic Action Program, has spent over 23 million dollars in constructing management coordination centers like this one, dual-use disaster shelters, schools, clinics, and bridges in many towns and villages throughout Vietnam.

Reported by Linh Chi