Authority urges intensified checks of disaster risks

The National Commission for Disaster Reduction on Tuesday issued an urgent notice on the assessment and prevention of disaster risks.

The notice stressed that assessments should focus particularly on dilapidated buildings, low-lying land, schools, hospitals, residential communities, construction sites and waste storage facilities.

Airports, railway stations, subways as well as large shopping malls were also earmarked for assessment, it said.

Checks should take into consideration the different characteristics of each place, the document noted.

Any potential risks must be immediately rectified, it stressed.

Also, communities, volunteers and social groups should be encouraged to take part.

The document called for intensified monitoring and early warning against harsh weathers, with messages sent out on cellphone apps, and broadcast on TV and the Internet.

In cases where there is a potential for flooding, landslides or mudslides, all people must be informed and evacuated as early as possible, it added. Endi