CASE STORY: Disaster preparedness – It takes a community

Vietnam is one of the most hazard-prone countries in the Asia-Pacific Region. With an extensive coastline of 3,260 kilometres, the country is regularly exposed to natural disasters including severe storms, cyclones, typhoons, floods, landslides, and coastal erosion. The risk of flooding and storm is a pressing concern for nearly 70% of the population living in coastal areas and low-lying deltas in Vietnam. This alarming statistic highlights the urgent need for effective measures to mitigate the potential damages caused by floods and storms. 

Thua Thien Hue is one of the most vulnerable provinces to natural disasters in Vietnam. In November 2017, typhoon Damrey swept to central and southern Vietnam, killed at least 10 people and made over 370 houses collapse. “That very night, a typhoon hit. The terrible Damrey Typhoon in 2017 took away homes, crops, and livestock and was etched into the collective memory of people from our commune. The devastation it caused created an overwhelming motivation to act. After that incident, the villagers realized the need for disaster preparedness,” Huy, a member of the Commune Emergency Response Teams (CERT) in Thua Thien Hue province recounted.   

To strengthen the capacity for the community to cope with natural disasters, Save the Children works closely with our local partners including Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control in Thua Thien Hue promotes for the readiness of community in disaster preparedness and response. Practical measures are in placed including community-based emergency drill on natural disaster prevention for the CERT, local people and children in the context of storms and floods co-occurring in the area. Being one among the facilitators of the drill, Huy shared, “The CERT team, local people and children understand more of damage caused by natural disasters, they are better prepared and confident in handling emergency situations. It takes the whole community to be engaged in the commune disaster risk preparedness plan”.

This is part of Save the Children in Vietnam’s advocacy efforts to promote child-centered and community-based climate change adaptation, mitigation measures and locally led adaptation. The Country Office maintains a close relationship with government agencies at national and provincial level related to disaster management and climate change.