Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged ministries and local authorities nationwide to take drastic measures to cope with storms and floods in the upcoming months, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said June 9. The prime minister has asked local authorities to evacuate households out of the risky areas and to strengthen embankment systems before the rainy season coming. PM Dung also asked the coastal provinces and cities to speed up the upgrading of river and sea dike systems in a bid to prevent floods. He particularly asked Hanoi to set up a detailed plan for flood and storm prevention and dike protection to ensure that best conditions for the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi in October. Natural disasters left 500 dead and missing in Vietnam and caused a financial loss equivalent to nearly 2% of the country’s GDP last year.
