Ministry of Construction reports damage caused by storm No. 5 and recovery work

(Chinhphu.vn) - After storm No. 5 passed, about 1,200 locations on the national highway system were affected, of which nearly 200 locations were congested. Up to now, the national highways have basically been opened to traffic, but there are still hundreds of broken and fallen signs and many other damages that need to be repaired and replaced. Damage to road infrastructure is estimated at about 70 billion VND.

Authorities mobilize human resources and machinery to clear landslides in Thanh Hoa - Photo: Construction Newspaper

The Ministry of Construction has just reported to the Government on the results of overcoming the consequences of storm No. 5 (Kajiki) and the rain and floods caused by the storm in the transport and construction sectors.

According to the report of the Ministry of Construction, the recent storm No. 5 caused a lot of damage to transport infrastructure in the fields of roads, railways, maritime, inland waterways and aviation.

Road damage about 70 billion VND

Regarding roads, about 1,200 locations on the national highway system were affected, of which nearly 200 were congested. Up to now, the national highways have basically been opened to traffic, but there are still hundreds of broken and fallen signs and many other damages that need to be repaired and replaced. Damage to road infrastructure is estimated at about 70 billion VND.

The railway sector was also severely affected when many sections were eroded, flooded, and had their roadbeds washed away; hundreds of trees and structures fell onto the railway, and the signal wire system on the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route and the northern routes was broken. In Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh provinces alone, 206 communication poles were broken, 784 poles were tilted, and 325km of communication wire was damaged, with an estimated loss of VND8.39 billion.

Vietnam Railways Corporation had to stop running 6 passenger and freight trains, refund tickets and serve free meals to passengers. The total delay time was up to 3,440 minutes, causing a loss of about 4.1 billion VND.

In the maritime and waterway sector, the Nghe An Maritime Port Authority headquarters and many other structures had their roofs blown off and were severely damaged; some vehicles such as canoes, VHF and MF/HF antennas were broken, and water flooded into the cabin.

At Cua Day Waterway Management Station, some structures were also damaged. Immediately after the storm, units urgently deployed to fix, replant trees, clean up the environment and repair damaged items.

More than 100 flights affected, Tho Xuan airport partially flooded

The aviation industry was not spared, with 42 flights canceled, 50 rerouted and 20 delayed. The infrastructure of several airports in the region was damaged, the most serious being Vinh Airport, where the metal roof, terminal ceiling, office building and many other items were blown off and torn off.

Tho Xuan Airport also recorded localized flooding. Other airports have urgently repaired, cleaned up, replanted trees, and repaired damage to restore operations soon; Vinh Port alone has resumed construction since the morning of August 27.

Currently, functional units are still focusing human resources and means to urgently overcome the consequences, ensure traffic safety and soon fully restore operations in all fields.

In the context of storm No. 5 causing a lot of damage to traffic infrastructure, the Ministry of Construction has directed agencies and units managing and maintaining roads to mobilize maximum human resources, vehicles and materials to clear roads in the fastest time, prioritizing routes serving rescue, relief and connecting isolated residential areas. Up to now, traffic on all national highways has been smooth, with no human casualties.

The railway sector has also focused on quickly fixing the problem, ensuring train safety, and returning the speed line to the order. The maritime and waterway sectors have been directed to urgently inspect the route, collect and reinstall drift signals, and restore damaged signal systems. Thanks to that, all seaports and most inland waterway ports have returned to normal operations.

In the aviation sector, inspections of airports, terminals, communication systems, and flight operations were intensified. During the storm, only three airports, Tho Xuan, Vinh, and Dong Hoi, had to temporarily suspend operations for a short time, after which the entire airport system was safe and operating normally from 9:00 p.m. on August 25.

At the same time, the Ministry of Construction also directed investors and contractors to quickly check the status of works and machinery, repair damage and resume construction. Up to now, projects approved by the Ministry of Construction have resumed construction. Currently, forces and equipment are still on standby to proactively respond to storm No. 6 that has just formed in the East Sea.

To limit damage caused by storms and floods, the Ministry of Construction recommends that the Government, ministries and branches continue to prioritize support for severely affected localities, and soon stabilize people's lives.

The Ministry of Construction also paid special attention to the deterioration of 12 railway tunnels on the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route with a total length of 3,862m that have never been renovated and 3 tunnels that have only been partially reinforced, posing a potential safety risk. Therefore, the Ministry requested the Government to soon allocate funds to renovate and upgrade these items.

Along with that, localities need to coordinate to support site clearance, arrange landslide dump sites; create conditions for dredging and handling sedimentation of waterways, especially at river mouths during the rainy season. The Ministry also emphasized the need to improve and enhance the capacity of the Commune-level Civil Defense Command to improve the effectiveness of natural disaster prevention at the grassroots level.

In the long term, the Ministry of Construction recommends that the Government and ministries, branches and localities prioritize investment in improving weather forecasting capacity, building a network to warn of landslides, floods and flash floods at key locations; further developing and upgrading storm shelters. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen equipment for responding to natural disasters, search and rescue, invest in large rescue ships capable of operating for long periods at sea for the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center, ensuring rescue work in offshore areas.

Phan Trang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/bo-xay-dung-bao-cao-thiet-hai-do-bao-so-5-va-cong-tac-khac-phuc-10225083112292449.htm