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By Tran Xuan Thuy – CBDRM Project Assistant in Trieu Phong ADP
Villagers in Trieu Phong District, Quang Tri Provice, Vietnam participated in a flood simulation exercise to prepare for the upcoming monsoon season.
Communities learned how to reinforce their homes to better withstand strong winds, drew up emergency evacuation plans and practiced responding to early warning signs designed to alert fishing boats at sea. First aid training was also offered to communities.
The simulation activity, a part of a community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) project, was funded by the European Commission’s Disaster Preparedness Program (DIPECHO) and World Vision.
The simulation was supervised by the commune's army steering committee and the steering committee for flood and storm control.
Disaster preparedness is an important way to help communities minimize life and property losses in flood-prone areas.
“This simulation is a good chance to raise local awareness of food prevention and to manage storm damage in our areas. It is especially important for us right now with the incoming storm season,” said Chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee, Nguyen Huu Quoc.
Under the same project, more than 1,000 people in the district joined a similar simulation last October.
Lasting from 1 March 2007 till 30 April 2008, the CBDRM project aimed to improve disaster preparedness and management by communities and authorities in Vietnam. Some 21,000 impoverished people in central Vietnam have been engaged in various forms of disaster preparedness activities.
Poor child and their families living in Trieu Phong District in Quang Tri Province, Tram Tau District in Yen Bai Province and Lang Chanh District in Thanh Hoa Province are most vulnerable to flash floods, storms, land erosion, droughts and forest fires, endangering their ability to earn income from agriculture, forestry and fishing industries.
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