Public Security Forces to proactively respond to upcoming Storm No.9

Deputy Minister of Public Security, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Son, chaired an emergency online meeting with the Steering Committees for Climate Change, Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, and Steering Committee for Civil Defense (UPT Steering Committees) of the provincial-level police departments in the center and Central Highlands to discuss plans to respond to upcoming Storm No. 9.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Son speaks at the event.

The meeting also worked on measures to overcome the consequences caused by recent natural disasters in the Central region.

Reportedly, since the beginning of October, torrential rains, floods, and landslides in the Central provincescaused 119 deaths and 19 people missing. Thousands of houses were damaged while nearly 5,000 hectares of rice and other crops were destroyed. 

The natural disasters also killed more than 6,000 cattleand 700,000 poultry. The estimated losses have mounted to trillions of VND. Particularly, 34 officers and soldiers of the people's armed forcesdied during their rescue and search missions.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Son praised the efforts and sacrifices of the armed forces in general and the Public Security Forces in particular in assisting people amid the natural disasters.

In preparation for the upcoming typhoon, the Deputy Minister asked the UPT Steering Committees of all public security agencies and local police units to seriously follow the directions of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Public Security, other relevant agencies and local authorities on natural disaster response and relief.

The Public Security Forces should seek approaches to ensure security and safety for people and their assets.

Units under the Ministry of Public Security should ready forces and means as reinforcements for the police units in Central provinces to respond and overcome consequences of the natural disasters as well as conduct search and rescue missions upon request. The public security units should also pay attention to environmental sanitation andtake preventive measures againstdiseases.

The Deputy Minister also requested all units to maintain their communication systems, safeguard their workplaces, professional records, and archives, and protect inmates in prisons during the storm.