Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued an official dispatch calling for urgent action to address the growing threats of heavy rains, landslides, and flash floods, while urging proactive measures to prevent and mitigate the impacts of natural disasters in the coming period.

The dispatch noted that since the beginning of 2025, natural disasters have claimed 29 lives and left several others missing. A total of 67 houses have collapsed, and 2,342 homes have been unroofed or damaged. In May alone, heavy rainfall, including a historic downpour in central Ha Tinh province, triggered landslides, flash floods, and flooding in various areas, resulting in casualties and significant property damage, severely affecting local livelihoods and production.

As the flood and storm season is approaching, the risk of natural disasters, including storms, floods, landslides, and flash floods, remains high. The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has warned of moderate to heavy rainfall across multiple regions from the evening of May 28 through May 30, with some areas expected to receive more than 250mm of rain. This increases the likelihood of landslides, flash floods, and flooding, particularly in the northern region, north-central coast, Central Highlands, and southern provinces.

In response, the PM requested ministers, heads of ministerial-level and Government agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees to strengthen oversight, ensure timely and effective disaster preparedness and response efforts, and maintain uninterrupted operations - even amid ongoing administrative restructuring.

Leaders of provincial-level administrations were urged to take a proactive approach to directing and organising the prevention, response, and recovery efforts in line with the “four on-the-spot” principle: on-the-spot leadership, forces, means, and logistics. The dispatch emphasises the need for prompt, resolute, and effective action to safeguard human lives and minimise damage to public and private property.

The PM also instructed localities to urgently review and finalise response plans tailored to different types of potential disasters, especially storms, flooding, landslides, and flash floods, and to prioritise addressing vulnerabilities exposed during Typhoon Yagi in 2024.

In the dispatch, the PM also detailed the tasks for the ministers of agriculture and environment, industry and trade, construction, national defence, and public security, along with media agencies.

In particular, the Minister of Agriculture and Environment was tasked with ensuring timely dissemination of risk updates to relevant ministries, local authorities, and the public to facilitate swift and coordinated responses.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha was assigned to oversee and direct the coordinated disaster preparedness and response efforts across ministries, sectors, and localities./.VNA