Unique flood shelter in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - Hung Nhan commune is located completely outside the Lam dike, in the flood zone of Hung Nguyen district. Every year, the commune is often affected by floods, so local households have designed very unique flood shelters...

In the past, every flood season, causing deep and prolonged flooding, Hung Nhan residents often had to bring their assets, livestock and poultry to the dike to avoid the flood. Determined to live with the flood, in recent years, most households in Hung Nhan have designed lofts and built water tanks on high ground; so that when the flood water rises, there is still clean water to use.

90% of households in Hung Nhan build wooden houses with lofts to store food and provide shelter for their families when flood waters rise.

The cupboard is usually designed 2.8-3 meters above the floor (about 1 meter higher than the flood peaks in 1978 and 1988). In case of floods, the cupboard becomes a place for everyone in the house to stay and take shelter. This is also a place to store food all year round for families, ensuring that it is not affected by floods.

“My family’s cupboard can store about 2 tons of rice. If there is a flood, the whole family will live in this attic. The cupboard is equipped with a gas stove, and from here we can get water from the clean water tank; this can ensure water for daily use for a month.

In addition, over the past 5 years, 73 poor households in flood-affected areas have received government support to build flood shelters. The shelters are usually built on land 2.5 - 3m above ground level, with an attic for people to avoid floods and to store their belongings when flood waters rise.

For many years now, Ms. Ho Thi Hoa, hamlet 7, Hung Nhan, every rainy and stormy season, her family has stored straw to feed the buffalo and cows on the islet to save themselves.

Not only preparing food, drinking water and shelter from floods for people, some households in Hung Nhan have also built self-rescue islands, with stairs to bring buffaloes and cows up to avoid floods. People often prepare food (straw) for buffaloes and cows from the harvest season, in case of floods... Currently, the whole Hung Nhan commune has more than 500 households that have built self-rescue islands.

Living in the flood area, many households in Hung Nhan have proactively purchased their own three-leaf boats. Currently, the commune has about 100 small boats built by the people themselves. Hung Nhan commune also has 8 boats (1 motorboat) and a contract to rent 5 large boats from fishermen to respond promptly when a major flood occurs.

Each household prepares boats to travel during the flood season. In the photo is the three-leaf boat of Mr. Au Van Dan's family, Hamlet 7, Hung Nhan Commune.

Hung Nhan commune also built a community house to avoid floods in the commune headquarters. The community house to avoid floods is designed to include a kitchen system, domestic water... In case of a big flood, the elderly and children will be brought to live in the community house to avoid floods, to ensure safety.

Many huts are built in Hung Nhan.

Mr. Phan Dinh Hoan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Nhan Commune, said: "As a commune located completely outside the Lam River dike, in addition to the local initiative, the commune also propagates to the people to always be proactive in following the 4 on-site motto; promptly respond to natural disasters, floods and storms, avoiding damage to people and property."

Thanh Tam - Quang An