Red Cross Red Crescent - Disaster preparedness: activities

Red Cross Red Crescent - Disaster preparedness: activities: "An environmental preservation project, undertaken by the Thai Binh branch of the Vietnam Red Cross, was designed to address two issues affecting the people living on the coast in Thai Thuy district of Thai Binh province. With eight to ten typhoon storms striking the coast of Vietnam annually, tidal flooding often breaches sea dykes and causes economic losses to the local population engaged in aqua culture. The project involved creating 2,000 hectares of mangrove plantations, which served two important purposes. Firstly, the trees act as a buffer zone in front of the sea dyke system, reducing the water velocity, wave strength and wind energy. This helps protect coastal land, human life and assets invested in development. Secondly, the plantations contribute to the production of valuable exports such as shrimp and crabs, high-value species of marine fish in cages, mollusk farming and the culture of seaweed for agar and alginate extraction. This offers new employment opportunities to help what was a vulnerable population to improve their livelihoods. An evaluation of the project reported: 'By helping to protect the sea dykes, the mangroves are contributing to the economic stability of the communes. All members of the community stand to benefit as their homes, livestock and agricultural land are better protected from the risk of flooding. Poor families, with little money to repair or replace material losses from storm damage, are the greatest potential beneficiaries"