PDC Will Assist Vietnam to Reduce Disastrous Impacts of Flooding

PDC Updates | Sept 2, 2009

PDC Chief Information Officer Chris Chiesa said, “We have been assisting Vietnamese disaster managers and ministries for several years, and PDC is proud to be selected to help its partners in Vietnam to reduce the risks associated with frequent and often devastating flooding.”

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded a $582,853 grant to Vietnam’s Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD) on August 14 to advance the development of the country’s disaster management system. The implementation of this USTDA-funded program, to be carried out by Pacific Disaster Center, will help to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters, specifically those associated with a flooding, including typhoons with high winds, heavy rainfall and related landslides. These hazards regularly affect the lives of citizens throughout Vietnam. Flooding in particular has had devastating effects on Vietnam’s infrastructure and communities, thus emphasizing the need to implement a strategic plan for disaster mitigation, one that focuses on flooding and reducing the disastrous impacts of floods. The system will help to forecast floods, assess their potential impacts, and to disseminate warnings to appropriate disaster managers and civil authorities.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency and Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development signing ceremony in Hanoi on August 14, 2009, was attended by USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michalak, MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat and other representatives of the U.S. and Vietnam, including PDC personnel who will work on the flood control project.

USTDA Acting Director Leocadia Zak and MARD Director General Le Van Minh signed the grant agreement on behalf of the U.S. government and MARD, respectively. MARD’s Minister Dr. Cao Duc Phat and U.S. Ambassador Michael Michalak were witnessed the grant signing.

“This USTDA-supported project will strengthen MARD’s flood forecasting, early warning and disaster management capabilities, enabling MARD and Vietnam’s Disaster Management Center to develop an effective system that will become a core component of Vietnam’s disaster management infrastructure,” Acting Director Zak said at the grant-signing ceremony.

MARD, Vietnam’s lead administrative body responsible for flood control programs, oversees the Disaster Management Center, which serves as the executing agency to implement strategies for the flood and storm control. MARD has chosen Pacific Disaster Center, a program of the University of Hawaii, to provide the technical assistance needed to implement this flood-centered disaster management system.

To learn more about PDC’s partnership with Vietnam, follow the links below:

There is a “project profile” detailing many of PDC’s activities in Vietnam.
Deadly flooding occurred in Vietnam, China and India in 2009.
Representatives from Vietnam and PDC participated in Disaster Reduction Training.
PDC hosted Vietnamese Nobel Laureate Dr. Nguyen Huu Ninh in 2009.
ASEAN members, including Vietnam, received Disaster Assessment training from PDC.
PDC opened a project office at the Water Resource Univ., Hanoi, in 2008.
PDC participated in an APEC Dialogue in Vietnam in 2008.
PDC hosted a gathering of climate change experts at East West Center in 2008.
Typhoon Lekima made landfall in Vietnam in 2007.
Many days of devastating flooding plagued Vietnam in 2007.
PDC produced a “Best Practices” Workshop in Hanoi, in 2007.
Typhoon Xangsane crossed Philippines, aimed for Vietnam on September 27, 2006.
Typhoon Xangsane approached Vietnam on September 28, 2006.
Typhoon Xangsane was still a menace to Vietnam on September 29, 2006.
By October 2, Xangsane was no longer a Typhoon.
In November 2007 Vietnam was in the sights of two powerful Typhoons.
Typhoon Durian was the ninth destructive storm of 2006 in Vietnam.

To learn more about USTDA:

The main website of the USTDA tells the whole story.
There is a page for businesses looking for USTDA-related business opportunities.

To understand Vietnam better try:

The World Factbook section on Vietnam.
The U.S. Library of Congress Country Study: Vietnam.

Some links may become inactive over time. If you find a broken or inoperative link to an external resource, you may want to search at that resource for the relevant information. If you find that a link referring to a pdc.org page fails, please inform the PDC Webmaster.