People have to travel by boat after a local road in was flooded due to a heavy rain in Cẩm Thạch Commune, the coastal central province of Hà Tĩnh on Sunday.— VNA/VNS Photo Hữu Quyết

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has ordered ministries, agencies and local authorities to intensify efforts in responding to the rising risks of heavy rainfall, landslides, flash floods, and to proactively prepare for natural disaster prevention.

The order came after Chính signed the Directive No. 76/CĐ-TTg on Wednesday as Việt Nam prepares to enter the peak of the rainy and storm season, which comes with elevated risks of severe weather events, including storms, floods, inundation, landslides and flash floods, is expected to be high.

The directive 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 province Hà Tĩnh triggered landslides, flash floods, and flooding in various areas, resulting in casualties and significant property damage, severely affecting local livelihoods and production.

Previously, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned that from Wednesday evening to Friday, moderate to heavy rainfall is anticipated across various regions, with some areas forecast to receive over 250mm of rain.This raises significant concerns about potential landslides, flash floods and localised flooding, particularly in the northern, north central, Central Highlands and southern regions.

The Government leader directed ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, Government bodies, and chairpersons of provincial and municipal People’s Committees to act within their remit to urgently implement disaster prevention and response measures in a timely and effective manner.

Agencies must remain vigilant and prepared, ensuring uninterrupted disaster response operations, particularly during the ongoing restructuring of administrative units and local governments at the district and commune levels.

Local authorities have been instructed to urgently review and develop plans to reorganise their disaster response and rescue forces at both provincial and grassroots levels, in line with official guidance and local realities.

The structures must be fully operational, effective and coherent by July 1 when district-level administrative reforms take effect.

Chính told the Minister of Agriculture and Environment to closely monitor and assess weather conditions and natural disasters in order to issue timely forecasts, warnings and public communications to enable proactive response and damage mitigation.

The ministry is also responsible for directing disaster prevention work within its assigned remit.

The Minister of Industry and Trade was tasked with ensuring electricity supply and taking necessary steps to safeguard hydroelectric dams.

Finally, Chính assigned the Director Generals of Vietnam News Agency, Việt Nam Television, and the Voice of Việt Nam, to collaborate with relevant authorities in ramping up public communication efforts to raise public awareness, offer practical guidance on disaster prevention to help citizens prepare and respond effectively when disaster situations arise.— VNS