Banking industry strives to restore operations after storms and floods

Urgent remedy

According to a preliminary report from the State Bank of Tuyen Quang province, many banks have suffered damage to their facilities. Branches such as Vietinbank, Agribank, Vietcombank, HDBank, LPbank Tuyen Quang… were all affected by rising flood waters.

The most severely damaged bank was VietinBank Tuyen Quang, whose headquarters is located near the Lo River, so it was deeply flooded. Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, Deputy Director of Vietinbank Tuyen Quang, said that the unit continuously updated weather information and promptly transported money, assets, computer equipment, and documents to higher ground.

At the flooded ATM system, the branch had time to store money before the flood. However, the branch headquarters was deeply flooded. The entire infrastructure of the newly built branch, the newly built cabinets, tables and chairs were all submerged in water, causing damage. In addition to the affected headquarters, the bank had 5 flooded ATMs.

From the afternoon of September 13, Agribank Tuyen Quang transaction points resumed operations.

Immediately after the water receded, Vietinbank Tuyen Quang mobilized all staff to inspect, repair and clean up the infrastructure. For flooded ATMs, the branch has notified the warranty unit to come and inspect and repair. Currently, the power grid system at the headquarters has been flooded for a long time, so it will take more time to fix. The branch is expected to resume operations to serve the people on Monday.

At Loc Phat Commercial Joint Stock Bank, Tuyen Quang Branch (LPBank Tuyen Quang), the first floor and the City Transaction Office, at the traffic intersection, were flooded. The transmission system was completely paralyzed, and the transaction point could not operate. The facilities were severely damaged by the flood. Mr. Vu Giang Nam, Branch Director, said: "The unit has tried to fix the situation at the head office and temporarily operated from September 12, while the City Transaction Office is expected to operate on Monday, September 16."

The remaining banks such as HDBank Tuyen Quang, the electrical system in the building has not been fixed yet. The transmission line and generator located in the basement are damaged. The bank had to ask for help from the head office's technical staff to fix the problem, and is expected to resume operations by Monday, September 16; Vietcombank Tuyen Quang has managed to move money, valuable assets and documents to the 2nd floor but could not avoid damage to the facilities and ATM system in front of the headquarters. As for Agribank, according to preliminary statistics, the provincial head office and 3 transaction offices were flooded... by September 13, the branch promptly fixed the problem and resumed operations.

On September 12, immediately after the flood receded, LPBank Tuyen Quang focused on cleaning up and overcoming the consequences of the flood.

Ensure treasury security

In order to ensure the safety of assets and treasury, right before and during the storm and flood, the State Bank of Tuyen Quang province directed commercial bank branches in the area to deploy plans to prevent flooding and landslides, ensuring the safety of headquarters and treasury. At the same time, staff were arranged to be on duty 24/7 to control the situation, move valuable assets and important documents to higher ground, and minimize damage.

Regarding the issue of restoring transaction activities and ensuring continuity in providing financial services to people, banks in Tuyen Quang have quickly implemented recovery measures such as repairing ATM systems and electrical equipment as soon as the water recedes, and at the same time planning to replace damaged equipment to put it back into operation soon.

The provincial State Bank also requested commercial banks to assess the damage in detail and learn from this natural disaster to develop more effective disaster prevention scenarios in the future. In particular, it is necessary to focus on upgrading infrastructure and investing in flood prevention systems at bank branches located in low-lying or vulnerable areas.

On September 12, immediately after the flood receded, LPBank Tuyen Quang focused on cleaning up and overcoming the consequences of the flood.

The State Bank of Tuyen Quang province has also requested commercial banks to review and take measures to support credit for affected areas; propose banks to increase debt extension and debt forgiveness measures for affected customers, helping them overcome immediate difficulties. At the same time, the banking sector has also proactively and actively coordinated with functional agencies and local authorities in the process of overcoming damage.

The aftermath of storm No. 3 has left huge losses for the banking sector in Tuyen Quang, not only in terms of physical facilities but also affecting transaction activities. However, thanks to timely guidance from the State Bank of the province, quick remedial measures have been implemented to stabilize the situation. Financial support for local people and businesses is also being focused on, contributing to helping Tuyen Quang recover from the natural disaster and quickly return to normal operations.

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/nganh-ngan-hang-no-luc-khoi-phuc-hoat-dong-sau-bao-lu-198479.html