Older persons should be evacuated early

Natural disasters are unpredictable, however if we are prepared for them, we are capable of dealing with them. For vulnerable groups including older persons, early evacuation is a critical way to respond to disasters.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nay, 88, lives in Nhi Thuong village, Gio My commune, Gio Linh district, Quang Tri province. Her village is located in a low-lying area of the commune which is often flooded in the rainy season. She has lived all by herself in a run-down house for 18 years. She has to use a cane for walking, her vision has become blurred, and she cannot hear clearly, yet she has to cook everyday. Despite of her age, she still knows what to do when a storm comes. "There has been no flooding this year, but storms and floods usually hit my village quite often in previous years, floods even covered main roads. As my house is situated next to a road, flood water often overflows into my house. Whenever it rains heavily, I’ve never stayed at home but move to a safer place instead,” she said.

Mrs. Nay added that nowadays it’s quite easy for people to access disaster-related information. She can get flood and storm notifications via television or the local loudspeaker system. She said that an older person like her should be proactive in evacuation and shouldn’t be worried about the house or possessions. Then, pointing out in the middle of her house, Nay said “Normally, I use this bucket to store rice. When floods come, it’s used for storing water. My life vest is hanged above my bed so that I can easily wear it when floods strike. This year, the bucket and life vest have been given to me by the SRD project. They are so convenient.”

In Mrs. Nay’s opinion, the early evacuation of older persons is essential to their safety. It also plays a crucial part of community disaster response. “Can you look at the bamboo bush in front of my house to see whether there is a bamboo bud or not? From my experience, if bamboo buds sprout in some year, a big flood will hit that year. It’s experience of the elderly,” She, cracking a toothless smile, asked me when showing me out.

With indigenous knowledge for disaster risk reduction and proactive responses, Mrs. Nay not only has protectedherself from disasters but also has actively contributed to the promotion of proactive community disaster management.

- SRD -

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