Party leader and State President Tô Lâm and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính at the Politburo meeting held on Monday in Hà Nội regarding relief efforts and handling of floods and landslides in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm on Monday afternoon presided over a Politburo meeting to provide guidance and directives on urgent actions needed to immediately address the severe aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, with the aim of quickly stabilising the lives of those affected by the storm.

Yagi struck the northern region over the weekend, causing widespread flooding and severe damage.

At the meeting, the Politburo was briefed on the devastation caused by Typhoon No. 3. It was an extremely powerful storm that caused significant and extensive damage, with property losses far exceeding those of many previous storms.

The Government, the Prime Minister and various ministries, sectors and localities had proactively implemented early warning and preventive measures ahead of the storm. Now, work to deal with the aftermath is being carried out urgently and systematically.

Lâm stressed that addressing the impacts of Typhoon Yagi is an urgent and critical task this week, adding that the entire political system must give it the highest priority.

The Politburo and the Secretariat expressed their solidarity with the agencies, units, localities, families and people affected by the storm.

They also praised the government, the Prime Minister, various ministries, sectors, localities and the military and police forces, as well as weather forecasting agencies and the media, for their diligent and decisive actions in responding to the storm from an early stage. Appreciation was given to State media agencies for providing effective communication by broadcasting hourly warning bulletins, helping people stay informed and take proactive measures against the typhoon.

Lâm underscored the need to quickly stabilise the situation and return all activities to normal.

An immediate focus should be on treating the injured and deploying rescue forces with modern equipment to reach isolated areas for relief efforts.

The Government and the PM should coordinate resources appropriately to respond to incidents and help people recover from the storm's aftermath.

Efforts should also be intensified to inspect bridges, roads and levees at risk of landslides, as well as to restore electricity and communications and repair schools to ensure that students can return to classes as soon as possible.

The leader also highlighted that, in addition to tasks assigned based on the functions and responsibilities of each ministry, sector and locality, there must be a strong local presence to conduct rescue operations actively, without solely relying on central authorities.

He said: "The 'four on-the-spot' principle should be maintained, but in such unprecedentedly urgent situations, outside support is absolutely essential. We need to allocate resources to key areas, such as Lào Cai, Sơn La, Yên Bái and Cao Bằng, as well as other mountainous provinces. Special attention should be given to the elderly, children and those who are sick or vulnerable." — VNS