USAID supports central province's response to natural disasters
The USAID Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and Vietnam Red Cross Society jointly held a seminar on March 1 to evaluate the current situation and propose solutions to reduce the risk of natural disasters in Thua Thien-Hue central province. The seminar is part of the project “Increasing Emergency Preparedness and Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Communities in Central Vietnam” funded by OFDA through Save the Children in Vietnam (SCiV).
The project, which lasted from April, 2012 to March this year, focused on 20 communes in three disaster prone districts – Quang Dien, Phu Loc and Phu Vang in Thua Thien-Hue. With the help of the project, localities in the province have focused on strengthening their capacity to respond to disasters; improving community preparedness through the participation of adults and children, enhancing public awareness, and changing the behaviour of the community. An action group was founded and trained to encourage the masses to take part in different activities, evaluate the vulnerability of each area, and draw a disaster risk map. An action plan, early warning system and other small scale preventative solutions were also part of the project. The first phase of the project was successful, and coordination with local authorities was good, especially in drawing local people and students to participate. -VNA
