The West - new vitality after the flood

(Baonghean.vn) - 2011 was a difficult year for the western districts of Nghe An. Hundreds of houses, many traffic works, schools, dozens of hectares of agricultural land... were swept away in 3 major floods, causing economic losses of hundreds of billions of dong. The lives of the people, which were already difficult, became even more miserable. However, thanks to the help of the Central Government, the province, organizations, businesses and the tireless efforts of the people, new vitality is gradually emerging here...

Flood upon flood

Ky Son, within just 3 months (from June to August), 3 consecutive flash floods seemed to be "waiting" to "swallow" many communes in the district. Muong Xen town, Bac Ly, My Ly, Na Ngoi communes... were devastated and desolate after the floods. The roads leading to Bac Ly and My Ly communes were cut off, people's lives faced many difficulties. People were afraid whenever it rained, especially at night, afraid that the flood would rise suddenly and they would not be able to react in time. Many suspension bridges were swept away by the water. Along both sides of the road or on the mountain slopes, many new houses were temporarily built after the floods. On the faces of many people, the horror from the sudden flash floods was still present, as if it had happened yesterday.

Temporary bridges were built by people across the river after the flood receded.

Rarely has the ethnic minorities in Western Nghe An had to cope with as many flash floods as this year. In Tuong Duong district, three floods this year caused more than 200 billion VND in damage. The flash flood in late June alone caused more than 50 houses to be washed away and collapsed, more than 500 houses in the area were eroded and had to be relocated, and more than 300 houses were flooded; more than 10 schools collapsed and hundreds of kilometers of roads and many agricultural areas were eroded and buried by rocks and soil.

Yen Tinh is one of the most severely damaged communes in Tuong Duong district. The flash flood at the end of June swept away 11 houses, nearly 100 houses were deeply flooded, traffic works, clean water, offices were damaged, and the school in Hat village alone completely collapsed. The estimated damage to the whole commune was up to more than 40 billion VND. Mr. Vi Vu Quang, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee confided: "This is a terrible flash flood that has not appeared in the past few decades. Fortunately, there were no human casualties, but the loss of property was so great that people's lives became miserable."

After the floods, Tuong Duong and Ky Son established many working groups to provide emergency relief to the people. Households whose houses were collapsed or washed away were supported with money to rebuild new houses. Mr. Vi Van Men in Pa Ty village said: "The floods swept away all our assets and food, and our house also collapsed. But now with the attention of superiors, my family has rebuilt a new house worth nearly 50 million VND. Now we can celebrate Tet with peace of mind". Ky Son has distributed nearly 200 boxes of instant noodles, 2 boxes of western medicine and thousands of tons of rice and corn seeds to flood-affected people. With the help of central and local ministries and branches, Tuong Duong and Ky Son have rebuilt nearly 600 houses damaged by floods, repaired dozens of kilometers of roads, schools, and cleaned up the premises and workplaces of all offices and medical stations in the area.

Mr. Nguyen Ho Canh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district, said: "During the days of flood, district leaders went to the damaged areas to help and direct people to overcome the consequences of the flood. With the motto of absolutely protecting the safety of life and not letting people go hungry or thirsty, we promptly distributed rice, medicine, and drinking water to help people stabilize their lives. After the flood receded, the district prioritized and accelerated the work of recovering post-flood production, urgently distributing corn and fish seeds for people to produce. At the same time, mobilized people to work on irrigation, and carried out dredging of eroded and silted canals. Areas of rice fields that could be restored were restored so that people had land for production."

New vitality

The flood has passed, the lives of the people here are starting to rise with the green of corn fields, fresh vegetable beds in the garden. The fierce Nam Mo River is now peaceful. The Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Tinh commune affirmed that people in the flooded area no longer have to worry about food shortages during this Tet holiday as well as during the lean season, partly due to timely food aid from superiors, partly because people were supported with seeds and achieved high yields after harvesting. Next to the newly harvested rice, Mr. Lo Trong Dai, Secretary of Pa Ty village, Yen Tinh commune (Tuong Duong) happily said: "With support for all seeds and fertilizers, right after the flood receded, the villagers quickly sowed the winter-spring crop. After the flood, the alluvium was added so the trees quickly grew well. This year's winter-spring rice crop, almost every family in the village had a good harvest. This year's Tet, people are no longer afraid of hunger".

When we returned to the schools and campuses in Ky Son that had been submerged and swept away by the flood, we could see the determination of the teachers and students here. In the whole district of Ky Son, 12 schools were washed away and damaged, of which 6 schools were completely collapsed. "Thanks to the help of the authorities at all levels and philanthropists, up to now, the students have enough books to study. Although teachers and students are having to study in temporary houses, we always try to overcome difficulties to teach and study well," said Mr. Dam Quang Huy, Principal of Muong Tip 2 Primary School. Looking at the students playing happily in the yard during recess, we admired their spirit of overcoming difficulties. Although some of their houses were washed away and they now have to live in temporary houses, they still persevere in staying at school and in class.

There are still difficulties...

However, the severe "aftermath" of the flash floods still causes many difficulties for many communes in the two districts of Tuong Duong and Ky Son. Because some suspension bridges were washed away by the flood, people are now having to cross the river on makeshift monkey bridges. Every time there is heavy rain, the river water rises, and the lives of many households on the other side of the river are cut off. Mr. Lo Hoai Thom, Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Na commune, is worried: "Currently, 30 households in the Khe Chong and Khe O resettlement areas do not have houses because their houses were buried in the flash flood at the end of June. Many households are now having to set up temporary tents along the road to live, while some households have returned to their old houses despite the danger. The commune's agricultural land has also decreased significantly due to landslides and silting. People's lives are still very difficult".

Mr. Bui Tram, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Son district, worriedly said: "Ky Son is already poor and now it is even poorer because of the floods. In order for Ky Son to soon overcome the losses after the floods, it needs great support from all levels, sectors and organizations at home and abroad. Although, compared to 5 years ago, the appearance of Ky Son has changed to a happy level. However, with the current unusual weather developments, those achievements become fragile."

Pham Bang