The last day of the year, a tearful story of love in the flood-prone area
(Baonghean.vn) - Now, life has returned to peace, but the people of the flooded area of Thanh My (Thanh Chuong) still remember the noble solidarity of the "benefactors" who saved them from the fierce flood waters....
A cry for help in the night
Due to the impact of storm No. 9, on October 29, 2020, Nghe An experienced heavy rain causing flooding in many places.Thanh Myis the deepest flooded point of Thanh Chuong district inhistoric floodThis... Although informed to evacuate people to highlands, Mr. Doan Van Lan and his wife in My Huong hamlet still lingered because for many years their hometown has not had a big flood.
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| Thanh My Commune in the early morning of October 30. Photo: Bang Tran |
The sky was dark, the rain poured down like a waterfall, the water in Hoi Met stream rose quickly, Mr. Lan only had time to run to the barn to carry the goats upstairs before the flood rushed into the house. All his belongings were swept away. At midnight, then near dawn, the water continued to rise rapidly, Mr. Lan and his wife and their nearly 3-year-old grandson hugged each other, trembling. He had removed the tiles to prepare to climb onto the roof...
In the same situation, with the floodwaters pouring in, Mr. Tran Van Tang (73 years old), from My Huong hamlet, only had time to untie the rope for his buffalo to run away from the flood, then went upstairs to sit. Not only these two families, many other families in My Huong hamlet and My Luong hamlet also only had time to escape to the roof, before they could regain their composure, everything was gone.
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| Dozens of houses were submerged in water. Photo: Bang Tran |
In just a short time, dozens of houses in Thanh My were flooded up to the roof, forcing people to remove tiles to call for help. With the last of their phone batteries, many people called and texted for help via social networks in panic. The rescue force of Thanh Chuong district had to use small boats and search and rescue lights to evacuate people from deeply flooded houses. However, the local force was quite thin, the number of people needing rescue was too large to cover all. Thanh My had a night living in fear...
Humanity in the flood
After many days of rescue in Le Thuy district (Quang Binh) and Cam Xuyen district (Ha Tinh), the rescue team of NIBC inflatable boat club (with members from many different provinces and cities, including Nghe An) has returned to Vinh. At 9:00 p.m. on October 29, while they were just eating their bowls of rice, the team members received a series of calls for help from people in the flooded areas... With their food stuck, Nguyen Hong Son (in Hanoi) and the members of the inflatable boat club threw down their bowls and headed back up Highway 46 to Thanh My.
“Thinking we would have a meal and a good night's sleep after many days of being soaked in water, but when we heard the Thanh My people's cries for help in the night, we left.”
The group split into two groups, one group followed Highway 46A, the other group followed the Ho Chi Minh trail to Thanh My. Near the flood area, the road was flooded and landslides prevented cars from going further, Mr. Son's group had to lower the boat and run for more than 4km to reach the heavily flooded area. It was now past 1am.
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| Rescuers approach the second-floor window of a flooded family in My Huong hamlet. Photo: Bang Tran |
It was pouring rain, the rescue boats were searching for people along the power lines or the treetops still floating in the floodwaters, while shining flashlights on the roofs. As they walked, they shouted “Is anyone there?” - The response was flashlights and trembling arms sticking out from the roof tiles.
At nearly 4 a.m., in the middle of the rain and floods, surrounded by vast waters, Mr. Doan Van Lan and his wife and their grandson were shivering with cold and hunger when a rescue boat arrived to pick them up. Two other people from the neighboring hamlet were picked up on the boat with Mr. Lan and his wife. Mrs. Le Thi Luc, 56 years old, from My Luong village, said in shock: "While trying to save their belongings, I myself was swept away by the water. If the rescue team had not arrived in time, I would have been swept away with the raging flood."
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| Doan Nhat Minh - grandson of Doan Van Lan - was lifted up and down by the rescue team. Photo: Bang Tran |
In the vast floodwaters, the rescuers of the Inflatable Boat Club had a sleepless night, struggling to save people. Dozens of people escaped death and were brought to safe shelters during the night.
On the night of October 29, Tran Dinh Bang, a local resident of Thanh Linh commune, also joined the rescue boat team. As a local, upon hearing that the rescue team was looking for a guide to Thanh My, Bang immediately went. At 11 p.m., Bang and another friend got on a motorbike and braved the rain to go to Ho Chi Minh road to welcome the rescue team.
When he reached Eo Treo, Thanh Huong commune, he encountered a landslide. His motorbike could not pass, so he decided to continue walking. While wading in mud almost up to his knees, soil, rocks and trees on the cliff rolled down. Bang leaned over the mud to avoid it. Wherever he crawled, soil and rocks rolled down. Escaping the landslide, Bang ran for more than 1km to reach Ho Chi Minh road. Receiving and acting as a "pilot" for the rescue team, Bang directly jumped into the floodwaters, climbed onto each roof to help people get into the boat.
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| Doan Nhat Minh was not surprised to meet Tran Dinh Bang - the man who carried him from the roof to the rescue boat. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
The flood has passed but the human love remains forever. Mr. Hoang Tien Tho, Chairman of Thanh My Commune People's Committee, gratefully shared: "The terrible flood on the night of October 29 caused 720 households in the commune to be flooded, of which 200 households were flooded up to the roof. The flood rose unusually fast, leaving many people trapped on the roof... In the midst of that danger, luckily, rescuers from Vinh and Hanoi came in, bringing 4 rubber boats along with police and military forces to rescue people.
The rescuers went to the deepest flooded areas with the strongest currents to help evacuate people, and only returned at 12 noon. After evacuating people to safety, the water gradually receded, they said goodbye to the people and headed north... They were so enthusiastic that no words could describe it. Like Mr. Bang, although small, he was ready to jump out of the boat and swim in the floodwaters to bring the elderly and children onto the boat. The people will always remember...
Mr. Hoang Tien Tho added: In the midst of danger, we see more clearly.affectionThanh My has received a lot of help from units, forces, and individuals such as Division 324, the Provincial Military Command, and the Provincial Police who have visited each house to support people in overcoming the consequences of floods and stabilizing their lives. Many relief convoys have come to give food, clothes, books, and even money to help people overcome their difficulties. The total amount of money and goods donated to Thanh My is more than 3 billion VND.
Spring is coming to Thanh My land. Here, the red, ferocious streams are gone, the green fields have returned. The people here still talk about the story of love!