People pick up rice in the mud after flash floods in Nhon Mai
On the third day after the flash flood, taking advantage of the sunny weather, people in the villages affected by the flash flood went to the fields to pick up the remaining rice mixed with mud. Authorities worked hard to clear the roads and help households whose houses had collapsed to stabilize their homes.
Mr. Va Ba Tinh, an official of the People's Committee of Nhon Mai Commune (Tuong Duong District) said that for more than 2 days, the "4 on-site" forces of the commune, village and armed units have been racing against time to help people overcome the consequences of flash floods. Due to the collapse of many roads and bridges, many households have been temporarily isolated.
To reach the scene, the forces had to travel by motorbike or on foot. During the journey, they had to work together to clear the road for motorbikes to pass. At the same time, the teams approaching the isolated location had to send people to monitor the weather forecast, observe the terrain and geology to warn against areas that could continue to collapse; and be on guard against river and stream sections that could experience flash floods due to water flowing from upstream.
Mr. Va Ba Tinh said that by the morning of June 1, the forces had reached the flash flood epicenter, helping households clean up mud, collapsed houses, and destroy dead animals to limit environmental pollution.
The flash flood occurred at the time when people were harvesting spring rice, so many areas of rice that had not been harvested were buried in mud. Some households had finished harvesting but had not yet brought their rice home or dried it, and were also submerged by floodwaters.
On the morning of June 2, at Mr. Va Ba Cha's house, border guards, police, and militia gathered to help the family move their belongings submerged in mud to rebuild the house. Meanwhile, Mr. Cha's wife, Luong Thi Hieu, and her sisters took advantage of the opportunity to go to the fields to pick up the remaining rice after the flood. The harvested rice that was submerged in mud was also taken out to dry to separate the mud from the rice grains.
The heavy rain and flash floods on the night of May 29 caused severe damage to houses, properties, crops, livestock, and traffic works in Nhon Mai. Of the 28 hectares of rice fields that were flooded and buried, 20 hectares belonged to the people of Nhon Mai commune, mainly concentrated in Nhon Mai village, Tham Tham village, and some in Co Ha, Na Lot, and Xoi Voi villages.
The whole Nhon Mai commune has 12 villages, 865 households, more than 4,000 people, mainly Thai, Mong, Kho Mu ethnic groups. People's lives mainly depend on agricultural production, including growing rice, corn, cassava, raising buffalo, cows, pigs, and chickens. In this flash flood, not only rice was damaged, almost completely lost, but also corn, cassava and vegetables were buried, completely swept away or crushed, with an estimated damage of over 70 hectares.
Regarding houses, Nhon Mai commune has 4 houses, including 2 solid houses in Na Hy village, 1 solid house in Tham Tham village and 1 prefabricated house that were swept away. 4 houses had to be urgently evacuated due to high risk of landslides, the slopes behind the houses had cracks, landslides and rocks and soil flooded when the rain continued (2 houses in Na Lot village and 2 houses in Co Ha village).
Several other houses in Tham Tham village were also seriously buried by rocks and soil and have not been able to be repaired. “In addition, there are about 13 other houses affected, at risk of landslides or rocks and soil flooding into the house. Although not to the point of needing immediate evacuation, there is a high potential risk. The family members are currently in a state of anxiety, especially when the weather shows signs of rain and wind,” said Mr. Va Ba Tinh.
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In addition to Nhon Mai commune, Huu Khuong and Yen Tinh communes of Tuong Duong district also suffered serious damage due to heavy rains, flash floods and landslides. Therefore, in addition to mobilizing forces to support people to overcome the consequences, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district has also proposed that all levels and sectors provide additional support so that people can soon stabilize their lives, especially in areas with heavy damage. At the same time, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district has also proposed comprehensive and sustainable solutions suitable to the specific conditions of mountainous areas, which are often affected by natural disasters.
