Go through the flood

Nghe An Border Guard forces evacuated people in key areas at risk of landslides to safety.

High concentration of people evacuation

Due to the influence of storm No. 9 circulation along with the cold air, in the last days of October, many places in Nghe An have experienced heavy to very heavy rains, some places are especially heavy, causing many localities to be isolated and deeply flooded. Communes located along Lam River such as Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen districts, Vinh city and some other localities are submerged in water.

According to a report from Nghe An province, the floods have killed six people, left three missing, and injured three others. The floods have flooded, isolated, and cut off 154 villages, with nearly 20,000 houses flooded; nearly 1,000 houses damaged; more than 24,000 hectares of rice, corn, crops, and seafood flooded and damaged; many kilometers of roads, canals, bridges, dykes, and embankments damaged or washed away... Localities have proactively organized the evacuation of thousands of households to safety.

Despite the floods, thanks to the good implementation of the 4-on-the-spot motto, along with the support of the armed forces and other units, the evacuation of people in flooded areas to safety, especially the elderly and children, was carried out systematically and safely. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet, Chairman of the People's Committee of Long Xa Commune, Hung Nguyen District, (Nghe An) said: The commune has 3 residential clusters with 238 households outside the Lam River dike. When the floodwaters just rose, according to the previous plan, the locality directed and mobilized people to evacuate the elderly and children into the dike, to stay at relatives' houses or high-rise buildings. The entire herd of cows and pigs was brought to the surface of the dike to "stay" to avoid the flood.

Because they live in an area that is often flooded, the people here have experience living with floods. In addition to their assets being placed on high ground, each family has a cupboard on the roof or a hut to store valuables, food, dry food and drinking water to survive the long days of rain and floods. The whole district of Hung Nguyen has 43 hamlets of 10 communes with more than 4,500 households that were flooded from one to 1.5 meters deep. Thanks to proactive response work, people were safe and property damage was minimized. Localities also organized the evacuation of more than 600 households in flooded and landslide areas. Of which, 67 households and 244 people were at risk of landslides in Ray and Thanh mountains.

Thanh My and Thanh Chuong were among the most seriously flooded areas on October 30. Photo courtesy of CTV

During natural disasters and floods, the armed forces of Nghe An province always stand side by side with the Party Committee, the government and the people. Heavy rains have caused many roads and residential areas in Vinh City to be deeply flooded. Ben Thuy and Hong Son (Vinh City) are the two wards most heavily flooded, including the "flood center" of Block 13 and Block 15 of Ben Thuy Ward, which are nearly two meters deep.

Vinh city armed forces evacuated people in Ben Thuy ward,

Chairman of Ben Thuy Ward People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Huan said: Despite the rain and floods, the local forces of the ward combined with more than 100 officers and soldiers of Brigade 873 (Military Region 4), Fire Prevention and Rescue Police (Nghe An Police) along with specialized rescue vehicles promptly approached deeply flooded areas to evacuate nearly 200 households as well as move their properties to a safe place. Ms. Nguyen Thi Chat in Block 13, Ben Thuy Ward emotionally said: "I was home alone, and I didn't know how to use the phone, when the floodwaters rose high, I didn't know how to call for help, so I was very worried. Luckily, the soldiers took me to a safe place. Thank you, Uncle Ho's soldiers!". Also during this time, the functional forces of Hong Son Ward evacuated seven households including 35 people in Block 1 from the heavily flooded area.

Despite the rain and floods, thousands of officers and soldiers of the armed forces, militia and self-defense forces were present at dangerous places to carry the elderly and children onto canoes to cross the flood to safety. Despite the vast sea and raging currents, they did not hesitate. It seemed that the order to save the people and the peace of the people overcame all their fears.

Sharing difficulties with compatriots

During the days of rising floods, working groups from Nghe An province went to deeply flooded localities to direct response work and visit and encourage people. Despite being half-burdened with water, the working group led by Chairman of Nghe An People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung still walked to the people of communes in Do Luong district - where hundreds of households were deeply flooded - to encourage and direct the grassroots with the goal of not letting people go hungry, thirsty, cold and ensuring safety.

During the flood, relief teams of the armed forces were present in the deeply flooded areas to distribute relief goods. The Military Command of Nghe An province established five working teams to supply food and provisions to people in the flooded areas. Of which, 5 tons of dry food were provided by the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Region 4 Command to support people in isolated localities in Vinh City, and the districts of Hung Nguyen, Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, and Nghi Loc.

Armed forces of Military Region 4 went to flooded mountainous communes in Thanh Chuong district to support 3 tons of rice and nearly 1,000 boxes of instant noodles for people.

Lieutenant General Tran Vo Dung, Political Commissar of Military Region 4, visited the mountainous communes in Thanh Chuong district that were deeply flooded to support 3 tons of rice and nearly 1,000 boxes of instant noodles for the people. The working group also visited, gave gifts, shared and encouraged policy families, poor households and people in the area affected by floods.

The Nghe An Provincial Red Cross also organized emergency relief teams in heavily flooded districts: Hung Nguyen, Thanh Chuong, Vinh City. The association gave away 450 life jackets, 370 boxes of instant noodles, 60 boxes of dry food and other necessities.

The Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province went to the flooded area of ​​Hung Nguyen district to encourage and give gifts to the people. Many Fatherland Front delegations from districts and towns in the province went to the flooded area with the spirit of “the poor help the needy”, “districts help districts, communes help communes, villages help villages” and “houses help houses”.

Convoys of trucks carrying relief goods to the flooded areas of Thanh Chuong. Photo: Huy Thu

More preciously, among them were many relief convoys from Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Ha Tinh - places that had just been hit by the fierce flood, carrying full loads of goods to the people in the flooded area of ​​Nghe An, which touched our hearts for the Vietnamese compatriots! At the flooded area of ​​Thanh Son hamlet, Long Xa commune, Hung Nguyen district, we met the couple Bui Thi Tung in Cam Trung commune, Cam Xuyen district (Ha Tinh) with a full carload of gifts being distributed to the people.

Ms. Tung said: “Just last week, our Ha Tinh province was flooded, and the people of Nghe An wrapped banh chung and other essential goods to provide timely support. Now, Nghe An is also flooded, so we have the responsibility to contribute to share the difficulties with our fellow countrymen.” Mr. Tung and his wife also said: The group was divided into two groups, one group went to Hung Nguyen; the other group went to Thanh Chuong - where the flooding was more severe, with two trucks full of goods for the people.

Currently, in some places, flood waters have begun to recede, including communes in the upper Thanh Chuong region. Armed units and other forces are continuing to go to the grassroots to help clean up the environment of schools, offices, medical stations, and families of policy beneficiaries, single people, and the elderly.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Chuong District (Nghe An) Trinh Van Nha said: The locality has mobilized armed forces in the district and is asking for 200 more soldiers from Military Region 4 and volunteer teams to support people in cleaning the environment, with the motto: wherever the water is drained, clean up there; immediately deploy measures to protect the environment, disinfect, sterilize, and ensure water for daily life and guide people in cleaning the environment, preventing diseases for people and livestock.

Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province presents gifts to flooded areas in Chau Nhan, Hung Nguyen (Nghe An). Photo by Ha Hue

In recent days, Nghe An province has not only focused on evacuating people to safe places, but local Party committees and authorities have also promoted the 4 on-site measures, coordinated with armed forces and other units, as well as the joint efforts of kind-hearted people from all over the country to help people avoid hunger and thirst during the floods.