People and forces of My Ly commune (Nghe An) race against the weather to find their belongings and documents.

People search for treasure in mud and soil

The border commune of My Ly is still going through unprecedented difficult days after the terrible flash flood.

The location of the house where Ms. Vi Thi Tho used to live in Xieng Tam village, My Ly commune, after a night of flood (the night of July 22), her house was left with only a bare land filled with mud and dirt. Standing on that ground, Ms. Vi Thi Tho in Xieng Tam village, along with her children, grandchildren, siblings and relatives, used her memory to determine the location of the bedside cabinet, hoping to find the safe containing documents and some money. "Looking at the location of the two remaining trees, these two trees used to be right behind the house, next to the bed, hoping to find the safe by digging here," Ms. Vi Thi Tho replied sadly.

Soaked in sweat, breathing heavily from the exhaustion of having to sleep under the open sky for several days, having to stay with others, having irregular meals, lacking electricity and water, the family members still held on to the hope of being able to salvage some of their belongings and documents after the flood. Tho’s nephew, who is only in 5th grade, also worked hard with a hoe to dig.

Not far away, other people were also wading through the mud, digging, even using their hands to scratch the increasingly compacted mud to find their belongings on the ground of their houses. Ms. Lo Thi Bua, whose house is near My Ly Border Guard Station, stood nearby and added: “My house over there was also flooded up to the roof, all my belongings were gone, the remaining frame of the house was also crooked and uninhabitable. I am currently staying at my uncle’s house which is higher up and not completely flooded.”

Looking in the direction Mrs. Búa pointed, her house looked dilapidated. Not far away, many rows of houses along the Nam Non River of My Ly Border Guard Station were also buried in mud up to the roof.

After 6 days, the water has receded today. All day today (July 27), the family of Ms. Lo Thi Phi in Xieng Tam village has been digging to find the remaining items under the 4-5m thick layer of mud. Ms. Lo Thi Phi said while digging through the mud and soil, "Trying to find pants, mats, and blankets to wash and use temporarily." Also in Xieng Tam village, Ms. Vi Thi Thanh Ha said in tears: "There is nothing left. Looking here, I don't even know where the foundation of my house is."

Continue to work hard to help people overcome the consequences

We arrived at the center of My Ly commune, along the road from Huoi Tu commune, although the road has been cleared, there are still dozens of dangerous landslides. Hundreds of households have lost their houses and property, or lost part of them, or have been so badly damaged that they cannot live there, all expressing their desire to have a new, safer place to live.

In the villages of Hoa Ly, Xieng Tam, Xop Tu, everywhere was bustling with people coming and going. The police, military, commune officials, and My Ly Border Guard Station were all working hard to assign forces to support the people. They received local information, ensured safe travel and accommodation for the people; and assigned forces to receive and distribute support gifts from people across the country to ensure efficiency and reasonableness for the affected families.

After the flood, many households in My Ly commune were left penniless, homeless and facing a difficult future. According to the leader of My Ly commune People's Committee, the damage caused by the flash flood in this border commune could be estimated at hundreds of billions of VND. Of which, all assets and 216 houses of people in 7 villages were swept away and completely collapsed, 135 other houses had to be urgently evacuated.

Mr. Dao Cong Thinh - Vice Chairman of My Ly Commune People's Committee said that these places are no longer habitable, and in the long term, we must consider a resettlement plan for the people.