Nguyễn Sỹ Trường, vice president of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, speaks at the ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photo

NGHỆ AN — The Vietnam Red Cross Society called for stronger disaster preparedness at the household level as it marked the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction with training and emergency-response drills in the central province of Nghệ An.

The society and its Nghệ An provincial branch held the event on Saturday in Quỳnh Anh Commune under the theme “Resilience starts at home,” echoing a message promoted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

"Disasters cannot be prevented, but the risks and losses they cause can be reduced if we are prepared, act early, base our actions on forecasts and put people at the centre of our efforts," said Nguyễn Sỹ Trường, vice president of the Vietnam Red Cross Society.

He said a safe community was not one without disasters, but one that understood its risks and knew what to do before, during and after a disaster.

Local response teams received training in disaster risk reduction and first aid. Participants also took part in a simulated emergency exercise involving evacuations, search-and-rescue operations and first aid, practising how to coordinate their response and assign responsibilities.

The Red Cross urged its local chapters, government agencies, organisations, businesses and the public to step up disaster preparedness and build resilience in every household. — VNS