Lessons from tragic accidents

(Baonghean) - In recent years, storms have not directly hit Nghe An, but the damage caused to property and people after storms is often very severe...

Subjectivity

Recently, a heartbreaking incident occurred in Khe Ang (Nghia Hong, Nghia Dan), when a car carrying 7 people passing through the spillway was swept away by floodwaters, killing 5 people. After nearly 3 days of searching with many modern vehicles, hundreds of officers, soldiers and many professional divers, the car was found when the water receded. The driver was an inspector of the Department of Transport and was prosecuted, but the pain of the families whose loved ones died in the flood is hard to ease?

People discussed a lot about the cause of this tragic accident. At the police station, driver Truong Van Thai said that when the car was going downhill, he only saw a man running out and waving his hand, but they did not open the car window, "ignored" it and continued on, leading to the terrible accident. When reaching the middle of the spillway, due to rising water, the car floated and lost direction, then was submerged under the water. As an officer working in the inspection sector in the field of traffic, Mr. Thai was reckless and too subjective in the face of the flood. Many people regretted: If only the driver had been responsible and had not disregarded his own life and that of others when crossing the spillway, the accident would not have happened.

In the recent flood after the circulation of storm No. 8, the whole province had 11 more deaths. Most of the victims died due to carelessness and subjectivity when crossing spillways, rivers, streams, and drainage canals. Among them, many victims were adults, healthy and aware of the dangers of floods but still ignored them, leading to painful consequences. In Nghi Cong Bac commune, people sympathized with Nguyen Sy Phuc (12th grade student) who heroically jumped into the flood to save people but was unfortunately drowned. If it had not been for the subjectivity and lack of awareness of 3 young men in Nghi My commune, Phuc would not have lost his life in the flood.

Although storm No. 10 did not make landfall in Nghe An, it caused heavy rains and floods in Vuc Mau Lake, causing terrible consequences. In addition to more than 4,000 houses of Hoang Mai residents being isolated and submerged in water, the floods also caused serious consequences for people and property. It is worth mentioning that the flood discharge at Vuc Mau Lake was timely and the notification to people in the downstream area was carried out in accordance with regulations? At the same time, how were the predictions of possible bad situations as well as the evacuation of people in the downstream area done? All must be reviewed to draw lessons...

Lessons learned

As Mr. Thai explained, at that time, there was a barrier and a guard at the spillway. It is known that the guard that day was a resident living next to the spillway hired by the government to guard, warn, and prevent people and vehicles from passing through the spillway. The person on duty at the barrier must know clearly the safe water level to pass through the spillway. If the water level is dangerous, why not stop the vehicles at all costs? The barrier that day could have been a sign, a piece of bamboo... but clearly, it was not enough to "block" the entire road to pass through the spillway. The "half-heartedness" of the barrier, combined with the lack of responsibility of the driver and the barrier guard will be discussed a lot, because the rain and floods have not stopped and there are still many dangerous spots at the spillways and dangerous intersections on many roads.

Khe Ang - a "black spot" on the traffic route connecting the communes of Nghia Hong, Nghia Thinh, Nghia Mai, Nghia Yen, Nghia Minh... with tens of thousands of people living. According to people living around Khe Ang spillway, this is not the only accident that has happened here. In the past few years, there have been more than 10 accidents during the flood season. In Nghia Hong commune, there are currently at least 3 dangerous spillways, including Khe Ang spillway, Doi 1 spillway and Doi 5 spillway. These spillways are located on the main provincial road connecting the communes of Nghia Mai, Nghia Thinh, Nghia Yen, Nghia Hong... to the district town and National Highway 48. In the commune, there is Co Do High School - where students from 11 neighboring communes study.

To get to school, students in Nghia Hung commune have to cross 3 spillways. During the rainy season, it takes them more than 1 hour to get there. If the Hieu River rises, students will have to take a day off. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thai - Chairman of Nghia Hong Commune People's Committee said: "During the rainy season, crossing these spillways is extremely dangerous, and in fact, many students have lost their lives. These 3 spillways are located on the main traffic route of Provincial Road 531 and the inter-district road connecting Nghia Hong commune and neighboring communes to the district center and town. During the rainy season, if the water rises, when someone is sick, it is very difficult to take the patient to a higher level.

Regarding the case of Phuc in Nghi Cong Bac commune who died while saving someone, at the time, there was no barrier or sign placed at the spillway. Meanwhile, during the rainy season, the flood water at this spillway rises very quickly and flows rapidly. This is also a route that many people often travel through, and in the past there have been many tragic accidents. Mr. Nguyen Van Ly - Chairman of Nghi Cong Bac commune People's Committee admitted: "At that time, because the flood water rose too quickly, the commune could not implement a plan to set up a barrier to prevent people from crossing the spillway. Obviously, the responsibility of the local government here is still subjective in the face of the complicated developments of the flood".

Many painful lessons have been learned after each flood, but responsibility has not been raised. After the tragic accident, no one has mentioned replacing the barrier, assigning responsibility to those assigned to the task. Black spots in traffic safety are still there when the transport sector is "complaining" about difficulties in funding to build overpasses to replace the overflow points. People cannot help but travel, storms are erratic and increasingly complicated.

Learning from the experience of the floods after storm No. 8, in the response to the recent storm No. 10, the Provincial People's Committee and the Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control paid special attention to propaganda work to raise people's awareness. Specifically, increasing the broadcasting time on mass media to help people absorb and avoid subjective psychology. In addition, localities have assigned staff to be on duty 24/24 hours at dangerous traffic points and spillways to ensure people's lives and property.

Pham Bang