Ky Son teachers climb mountains and cross forests to get to school after flood

On the morning of October 2, the alarm clock just rang at 4:30, Ms. Bien Thi Hai, a teacher at Chieu Luu 2 Primary School (Ky Son District) had to get up to prepare her belongings to go to school. Looking at her sleeping child, Ms. Hai did not have the heart to make a loud noise for fear of waking her child. She packed her boots and put on a raincoat and quietly left the house. Normally, when the weather is favorable, she gets on the bus to go to work at around 6:30. But these days, everyone has to make an appointment to leave early to help each other cross streams and other places.landslide.

It took 30 minutes to get from Muong Xen town to Xieng Thu village intersection (Chieu Luu commune). There, about 20 colleagues from Chieu Luu 2 Primary and Kindergarten were waiting. It was still raining, making everyone look worried. They left their motorbikes at a local's house and started walking to school.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van De inspected the work of overcoming the consequences of flash floods in Tuong Duong.

“From here to the school is only 7 km, if you go by motorbike it will only take about 15 minutes, but now the water in Xieng Thu stream is rising, the road is landslide, so we have to walk for 2 hours. Teachers have to wait and go together to help each other in case of any unexpected events” - Ms. Bien Thi Hai shared.

At the Xieng Thu spillway (Chieu Luu commune), as of the morning of October 2, the water was still rising and flowing rapidly.Teacherhad to go in groups, holding hands and lining up to support each other to cross. Everyone held their breath anxiously, just hoping to quickly cross the stream safely. So each group went through the muddy water in the pouring rain.

After passing the spillway, waiting for them ahead was a dangerous landslide that had appeared for several days in Xieng Thu village. Rocks and soil from the mountain flowed down, completely blocking the road. Although the authorities tried to clear the mud, they were unable to do so because the rain continued, causing the mountain to continue to slide. With the help of the locals, the teachers groped their way up the bamboo trees that had been built like a monkey bridge to cross the landslide. The footsteps of the person behind them were placed on the footprints of the person in front of them.

“There is no other way but to follow the hillsides and even the rice fields to get to the school. If we don’t go in, who will take care of the students and clean up the school? Many times, when I walk below the landslides, I worry about whether the rocks and soil will flow down at that time?” – Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a teacher at Chieu Luu 2 Kindergarten shared.

According to Ms. Hoa, the flash flood on the evening of September 30 caused Chieu Luu 2 Kindergarten to be severely flooded, many functional rooms and students' school supplies were flooded and swept away. The fences of both the Primary School and Kindergarten collapsed. Knowing that the road was difficult and dangerous, many teachers had no choice but to go home to rest and did not dare to stay for fear of landslides and flash floods that could come at any time. Moreover, the teachers' bedrooms were flooded with mud and have not been repaired yet.

Ms. Phan Thi Hieu - Principal of Chieu Luu 2 Kindergarten said: "The flash flood on the evening of September 30 caused the school to be flooded. On October 1, the authorities organized to push the mud out of the school and this morning (October 2), students returned to class to continue studying. However, the immediate task is to prioritize students' studies, while the teachers' rooms have not been thoroughly disinfected. If there is more heavy rain, the risk of flooding will continue"./.