From the storm challenge, the authorities at both levels have grown day by day

Testing in thunderstorms

Nearly half a year after the two-level local government came into operation, Quang Tri immediately took a trial: Storm overlapping, rain continuing rain. The newly merged communes and wards, the cadres who have just received their duties in the changing apparatus... all have not yet gotten used to the new breath and rhythm of work, then the thunderstorms have hit, requiring smooth and decisive operation.

These are no longer implementation meetings or regulations. That is practical, original, urgent and sometimes harsh, to test the response capacity of the two-level government, where the commune and ward levels become the first and last support for people in natural disasters.

Since the completion of the 2-level local government model, Quang Tri has been continuously hit by 4 storms No. 5, 6, 9 and especially storm No. 10. Sharply sweeping through the northern area of the province, which was previously Quang Dong, Quang Phu, Quang Kim, Quang Hop communes (Quang Trach district, old Quang Binh province), now in Phu Trach commune, the storm left large scratches on the traffic system, power grid, houses and civil works.

But between the knocked down electric poles, the corrugated iron roofs flying in the wind, there is one thing that does not collapse: People's trust in the grassroots government.

Ms. Tuong Thi Nhien, Hop Phu village 3, recalled the storm night with a still-shaking voice but her eyes full of gratitude: "My house is temporary, I am very scared. The authorities reported a very strong storm and encouraged evacuation, so I went to my neighbor's house to be on guard. The airport was noisy, but I thought back, if I hadn't gone early, I probably wouldn't have been able to make it in time."

She said that warning messages are continuously broadcast on loudspeakers, phones, and social networks of the commune. People do not wait for anyone to urge them, they themselves gather, prepare food, drinks, and flashlights. Households in weak houses were all arranged evacuation places. "When the storm came, there was nothing to do. The rain and wind are unstable, let alone fight," she said.

The lack of human losses in a strong storm like No. 10 is the result of a series of early, methodical and responsible actions, things that the commune level did not always have enough authority to decide on.

One of the biggest changes in the two-level local government is the giving of more authority to the commune and ward levels. The Civil Defense Command is strengthened and merged with tasks previously under the district level.

The commune level now not only "waits for instructions" but must also develop response scenarios, allocate resources, receive relief, appraise production support and especially organize evacuation of people in dangerous situations.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Thang - Secretary of the Phu Trach Commune Party Committee - shared: "New ministries, new areas, but we cannot be passive. Experience from recent storms shows: We must grasp each household and each vulnerable location. You can't rely on anyone else."

He described one night before the storm made landfall: Commune officials were on duty 24/7 at the headquarters of the Party Committee, People's Committee, and villages; militia, police, and mass organizations were fully mobilized; each working group knocked on each household's door to mobilize relocation.

Another theoretical situation. When the rain and wind started to pick up, someone had to stand there and tell the people: "You go with us, you are safe". If it is a few minutes late, the consequences are unpredictable.

If Phu Trach clinges to the storm, Vinh Hoang coastal commune will face another challenge: Maintaining a 12km long sea dike, a vital shield for thousands of households.

When storm No. 10 was still a few dozen nautical miles from shore, the waves began to hit hard, creating large cracks in the dike body. If we only do it for a few more hours, the risk of the dike breaking is completely real.

Hundreds of people, police, military, border guards, militia and local people stayed up all night, handing over sandbags to patch the dike. The flashlights, the sound of the waves, and the voices of people singing together made a battlefield without guns.

Strong government amid big storms

The 2-level model raises many questions about organization and operation. Cadres moving from other places to new communes; larger areas than before; coordination regulations between Commune Military Commands are not yet complete; inter-commune and inter-regional situations are easily confused.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Tri province Hoang Nam said that the province has established 5 key defense areas, playing the role of "command transit station", coordinating forces and means when the locality encounters incidents.

"There is no longer a district level, all forces must be sent to central communes or key areas. Residential groups and villages must maximize their core role, because they know each household and each risk point" - he said.

According to him, in the first phase of operating the two-level government, the province had to " turn its back" on the grassroots in many aspects, from consulting, guiding, to supporting the forces. But in the long run, the commune level will become a strong enough system, handling most of the situations on its own.

During the recent storms, the province issued many urgent telegrams, requiring the commune to implement on time, on task, and report on schedule. But when entering reality, the commune must not only "implement", but must think, decide and implement in fluctuating conditions.

Communes, wards and special zones are both the "end point" to receive orders and the " beginning point" for a series of actions to rescue people - protect villages - protect infrastructure. If the natural disaster prevention and control system is compared to a machine, the commune level is the small tool but plays the most important role for the entire apparatus to operate.

Because from here, the numbers in the text become real stories: A corrugated iron roof flies, an old man is brought to a solid house, a dike is patched in time.

Quang Tri is building a natural disaster prevention system according to the model of 3 linkages at the provincial - commune - community level. When these 3 chains are tightly connected, the system operates smoothly, and damage is reduced to the lowest level. And the most obvious thing after a series of storms is: The commune level has matured faster than any forecast.

Natural disasters have never been a "calculation with a fixed solution". But through each storm, each evacuation, each time staying up on the dike, the communes of Quang Tri are proving that they are capable and courageous enough to stand firm in the new model.

From the temporary houses of the people, the hazy sand nights flying on the Vinh Hoang dike, to the storm duty teams in Phu Trach... all depict one thing: When power and responsibility are given in the right place, the commune level can completely be a solid front line of a new government.

And in each wind and storm that passed, the people of Quang Tri saw the most important thing: no one was left behind.

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