Drone-assisted rescue drill held to prepare for storms, floods in Vietnam's Hue

The drill, jointly conducted by relevant local agencies in Loc An Commune, simulated a scenario in which a typhoon combined with cold air, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and tornadoes, caused widespread flooding and isolated residential areas.

As part of the exercise, drones were deployed to conduct reconnaissance, reach isolated areas that were difficult for conventional rescue vehicles to access, drop flotation devices to people in distress and help rescue people stranded by flooding.

The drill also featured the use of drones to reach people trapped on rooftops and help bring them to safety, demonstrating their role in rescue operations in areas that are difficult for conventional vehicles and boats to access.

Local authorities quickly issued warnings, secured homes and evacuated residents from dangerous areas.

In another simulated scenario, strong winds in Chua Hamlet, part of An Phuoc Village, uprooted trees, toppled power poles, damaged roofs and caused houses to collapse, leaving several people trapped.

Police, military personnel, militia members, medical workers and other local forces established an on-site command post, cordoned off dangerous areas and began rescue operations.

With the support of motorized equipment, rescue teams evacuated 20 stranded people, including six who suffered minor injuries and two who were seriously injured.

The exercise then simulated flooding caused by rising water upstream on the Truoi River, which inundated and isolated Hamlet 2 in An Phuoc Village.

Authorities deployed speedboats, boats and drones to survey the area, search for and rescue people, and move property to safety.

During the operation, rescue forces saved two people who had fallen into fast-flowing water and located missing people before bringing them safely ashore.

The exercise helped local forces practice coordinating responses to various emergencies, including evacuating residents, rescuing people from collapsed structures, conducting search-and-rescue operations on rivers and using drones to reach isolated areas that are difficult to access by conventional means.

Nguyen Van Manh, deputy chairman of the Hue City People's Committee, said at the drill that the locality is frequently affected by storms, floods, heavy rain and inundation.

He said the exercise was designed to realistically assess the ability of civil defense commands at different levels to handle the full response process, from receiving and processing information and assessing situations to making decisions and mobilizing forces for disaster response.

The exercise was also intended to help local authorities promptly review and improve their disaster prevention and response plans so they can respond quickly and effectively without being caught off guard when actual emergencies occur.