Gov’t Classifies Five Levels of Natural Disaster Hazards

Accordingly, Level 1 - blue indicates low risks; Level 2 - yellow indicates average risks; Level 3 - orange indicates high risks; Level 4 - red indicates extremely high risks; and Level 5 - purple indicates disasters.

Under Decision 18, natural disasters must be forecast and alerted including:  

1. Storms, tropical depression in water area and on the mainland of Viet Nam, tropical depression outside the East Sea but are likely to enter the East Sea in the next one to two days;

2. Heavy rainfalls in Viet Nam’s territory, floods in Vietnamese rivers and trans-boundary ones, flash floods, landslides caused by rainfalls in Viet Nam’s territory;

3. Extreme heat, droughts, saltwater intrusion, landslide, ground subsidence caused by droughts in Viet Nam’s territory;

4. Strong wind in the East Sea, fog in the East Sea and mainland of Viet Nam;

5. Sea level rise on coastal areas and islands;   

6. Tornado, lightning, hail, damaging cold, frost on Viet Nam’s territory

7. Wild fires in Viet Nam’s territory

8. Earthquakes of over 3.5 magnitudes on the Richter scale on Viet Nam’s territory

9. Earthquakes of over 6.5 magnitudes on the Richter scale in water areas which are likely to cause tsunamis on Viet Nam

10.Tsunamis caused by earthquakes, far from Viet Nam and are likely to affect Viet Nam.

Decision 18 replaces Decision 44/2014/QD-TTg on detailed regulations on natural disaster levels, dated August 15, 2014.