Minister of Public Security orders public security forces to actively respond to natural disasters

Police officer assisting rescue of people and property in Hoa Binh

Over the past few days, heavy rains have occurred in the mountainous provinces of North and North Central Vietnam, causing severe flooding, landslide, and huge human and material loses. Localities suffering the most losses include Yen Bai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.

Rains and floods may continue in the next few days and become more complex. In order to well maintain security and order while effectively supporting the local authorities and people affected by rains, floods and landslides, and minimizing damages to local people and property, and quickly overcoming the consequences and stabilizing people’s lives, the leadership of the Ministry asked leaders of public security agencies and local units to fulfill the following tasks:

1. All public security forces should seriously implement the guidelines on responding to floods and landslides in the Northern provinces by the Prime Minister in Official Telegraph No. 1533 / QD-TTg dated October 11, 2017 and other dispatches by Central agencies on disasters response.

2. Local police units should take active and immediate measures to ensure security, order and safety for key structures, especially working offices, warehouses, custody centers, stores of dossiers and documents, combat means and technical-logistic supplies. The public security forces should closely coordinate with the defense forces, local administrations and other forces in searching and rescuing missing and isolated cases due to floods and landslides while actively supporting and evacuating people from dangerous areas to safer places.

3. Public security units should mobilize maximum forces and waterway vehicles to go to isolated areas to rescue and transport wounded people to medical areas, and enhance the transportation of food supply to people in gulfed areas.

Actively take measures to guide the traffic and promote dissemination of traffic safety on mass media while prohibiting all vehicles to cross areas with flash floods or landslides (except for means for rescue missions), deploying forces on round-the-clock duty to maintain traffic regulations and strictly controlling the movement of people in road sections of a high risk of landslide to ensure safety for people and means.

4. Leaders of the police units should organize their forces on 24/24 duty, especially in the localities directly affected by rains, floods and landslides, and mobilize 100 % of their troops for readiness. Directors of the Police Departments of involved provinces should assign high-ranking officials to the key areas to lead prevention and combat against floods, and rescue activities, and assist local people to soon overcome the consequences. Provincial Police Departments should also maintain communications between the Ministry and the police units.

5. Press and media agencies under the MPS are responsible for regularly updating the situation of natural disasters, helping local authorities and people  proactively respond to arising developments of natural disasters in the localities while actively cooperating with other news agencies to promptly disseminate information on flood prevention and combat activities of the police force, as well as brave police officers and soldiers in disaster response, search and rescue missions.

Support local authorities, people, police officers and soldiers suffering losses caused by rains, floods and landslides to overcome the consequences and quickly stabilize their life.

6. All public security agencies and units should closely monitor the situation and report to higher-level authorities, supporting them in giving further directions for natural disaster prevention and fighting as well as search and rescue, in an effort to minimize the damage caused by rains, flash floods and landslides.