Pyongyang, July 29 (KCNA) — Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, visited the flood-hit areas in Sinuiju City and Uiju County of North Phyongan Province on July 28.
Accompanying him were Jo Yong Won and Pak Thae Song, secretaries of the Central Committee of the WPK.
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un was greeted on the spot by Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK and secretary of the WPK Central Committee, and the minister of National Defence and other commanding officers of the Korean People’s Army.
He guided the work for the rescue and evacuation of inhabitants from the area hit by intensive heavy rain and the disaster-predicted area.
On July 27, a record downpour hit the northern border of the DPRK and the areas of the Chinese side and the water level of the Amnok River exceeded far the danger line. This created a grave crisis in which more than 5 000 inhabitants were isolated in the zone vulnerable to flooding in several islet areas of Sinuiju City and Uiju County of North Phyongan Province.
Immediately after the crisis occurred, leading officials of the Party, government and military were dispatched to the spot according to the assignment directly given by Kim Jong Un. Helicopters of the Air Force the KPA and various kinds of lifeboats of the Navy and the maritime guard formation of the Border Guards were promptly committed to the operation for rescuing the inhabitants.
After arriving at a flying base, where the rescue operation is under way, by driving the flooding rough road, Kim Jong Un learned from commanding officers about the inhabitants in the zone vulnerable to flooding and the situation of the rescue operation.
He personally guided the operation, keeping his eyes on the whole course of ten-odd helicopters rescuing inhabitants in the unfavorable weather conditions and emergency situation while making more than 20 rounds of consecutive shuttle flights.
The rescued people saw him waiting for them at the violent rainy airport so unexpectedly and broke into cheers, shedding tears of boundless gratitude and emotion.
Kim Jong Un instructed the regional Party organizations and power organs to offer a compulsory aid to the rescued inhabitants by enlisting all possibilities so that they could not feel the slight inconvenience.
Having a talk with commanding officers and pilots of the flying unit, he heard the situation in the afflicted areas and repeatedly stressed the need to rescue everyone. He also saw to it that reconnaissance flights were reorganized several times even in the areas where the rescue was completed.
He encouraged the pilots who successfully rescued more than 4 200 inhabitants and shook their hands one by one. He said with pleasure that the helicopters’ rescue of such many people from the flooded areas in a little over half a day is an unbelievable miracle and a model of air rescue operation and that it is the pride of our Party and state to have such people’s air force and it is his honor to have assumed the supreme commandership of such army.
He highly appreciated the amazing feats performed in the rescue operation, saying that the characteristics of the people’s air force faithful to its inherent mission were clearly demonstrated once again and that all the people across the country would be grateful to the devotion made by the air force and its spirit of unconditionally and devotedly serving the people.
In particular, the commander of the helicopter flight regiment fulfilled a difficult task for rescue flight in the van and perfectly acquired the capability and qualities of a commanding officer, he said, adding he was very glad to find out another excellent commanding officer, to be followed by the entire army, under the combat environment. And he gave a great encouragement to the commander, warmly patting him on the back.
He set forth the tasks and ways for concentrating all efforts on the recovery and relief work to minimize the losses caused by disaster, eradicate the aftermath as soon as possible and take timely measures for preventing recurrence in the future.
Saying that the flood damage in Sinuiju City and Uiju County is very serious, he stressed that leading officials and forces at all levels in the capital city and regions should be mobilized ideologically and promptly in the recovery campaign while giving top priority to the protection of people’s lives and property.
He said that a primary attention should be paid to the preventive treatment and the provision of living conditions for the flood victims to quickly stabilize them and, in this regard, the Party and power organs in the relevant regions should provide relief goods including food, medicines and daily necessities to the maximum and console them and that state support measures should be taken simultaneously.
He gave an instruction on convening an emergency meeting, saying that rapid steps should be taken to prevent further disasters as downpour is still expected in this region and full preparations should be made in advance to ensure the simultaneous start of permanent recovery from flood damage immediately after its danger has disappeared.
Some areas along the shore of the River Amnok in North Phyongan, Jagang and Ryanggang provinces, including the city of Sinuiju and Uiju County, should be declared as areas of special-level disaster emergency and the Cabinet, commissions, ministries, national agencies, security and armed forces organs and all other institutions at all levels should turn out in a damage prevention and recovery campaign with all their forces and equipment so as to quickly remove damage and restore the order of production and life to a normal level, he said, adding that important measures will be taken to this end.
Noting that it is the most important and responsible task to take a prior measure for preventing any accident in advance rather than hastening follow-ups after its occurrence, he stressed the need for all regions and relevant sectors to get the maximum alertness, so as to cope with the rainy season constantly bringing danger of flood damage, and pay the most primary attention to such work for preventing the recurrence of flood damage as finding out and removing risk factors in advance, evacuating the inhabitants in a predictable and timely way and establishing a scientific flooding forecast and orderly information and control system.
It is important to take thorough recovery measures, but he cannot but mention again a serious lesson taught by the present grave situation, he said, severely criticizing officials of relevant state organs and local areas for their negligence of duty that caused a disastrous situation because of the failure to take a flood prevention measure.
Noting he has already stressed more than once that proper response measures should be taken to prevent damage by downpour, flooding and typhoon, he said: I’ve already given a repeated warning to the irresponsibility of officials over such serious practices. And the state repeatedly gave a precaution before the rainy season and the National Emergency Response Committee was called on July 22, a few days ago. But alertness has not yet given to the work for preventing natural disaster. Indolence and expediency of officials at major jobs have reached a very serious phase.
Officials would come to realize the seriousness of any case and try to prevent it whenever it happened, but natural disaster has not yet been prevented, he said, adding it is due to the fact that they, seized with defeatism at combat with nature, do not confidently turn out in the disaster prevention work, only expecting chance from the sky. Consequently, the National Emergency Response Committee was called on a regular basis and the emergency response committees were organized and operated in the capital city and provinces, but they remain only in form, failing to play a practical function and role, he pointed out.
Saying that as was revealed this time, disaster prevention institutions were helpless with no perfect essential rescue means to be used in case of disaster and so, the army was compelled to involve in the rescue operation, he seriously pointed out that what should not be overlooked any longer is just the irresponsible and non-militant attitude of the public security organ responsible for thoroughly ensuring the life and security of the people.
The county emergency disaster response commanding group and the Ministry of Public Security caused a temporary confusion in the rescue operation due to the failure in properly grasping even the population in the areas vulnerable to disaster and the number of the inhabitants rescued by the KPA was much larger than the number they had notified, he noted, saying this clearly showed what a serious stage their irresponsibility reached in direct proportion to the miraculous successes made by the KPA in rescuing the lives of more than 5 000 people.
He said that it is a quite dishonest attitude to leave the lives and property of the precious people and the wealth of the country to the mercy of nature, as seen through the current flood damage in some parts of the country. And he stressed that it is quite possible to prevent any accident, if the disaster prevention is seriously accepted as a matter of attitude and viewpoint on service toward the state and people and an important political and ideological matter, not merely a campaign against nature, and measures are taken with high alertness and foreseeing even the worst situation.
He stated that, through this opportunity, cautions is given to all Party and power organs across the country to prevent all sorts of damage by the disastrous abnormal weather. -0-
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