Thanh Chuong people's sleepless night racing against flood

Due to the influence of storm Noru, in Thanh Chuong area from the night of September 27 to the night of September 28, there was heavy rain accompanied by whirlwinds, causing many localities, especially low-lying and mountainous communes, to be flooded and partially isolated.

In particular, on the night of September 28, heavy rain accompanied by strong whirlwinds lasted for many hours, causing water levels in rivers and streams to rise rapidly, causing flooding in some localities. Many villages and families had to flee the flood all night.

Floodwaters inundate houses at night in Ngoc Lam commune. Photo: Contributor

In Ngoc Lam commune, villages were flooded, people used lanterns to help each other move their belongings to higher places to avoid flash floods. Mr. Vi Van Tuyen - Secretary of Ngoc Lam commune Party Committee said that on the night of September 28, 5 villages in the commune were flooded.

The lower Bich Hao area of ​​Thanh Chuong district was also an early flood-prone area. Mr. Nguyen Khanh Thanh - Secretary of the Thanh Xuan Commune Party Committee said: To prevent rising water, at around 8:00 p.m. on September 28, the commune evacuated dozens of small traders from Dang market. Currently, the Dang market area is deeply flooded.

From 11pm on September 28 to 3am on September 29, in Thanh Hoa, Thanh My, Thanh Huong, Thanh Dong, Thanh Duc, Vo Liet communes... many families had their houses and livestock pens flooded by rapidly rising floodwaters, with many places experiencing water levels from 0.5 to 1m high. Households living near rivers and streams were flooded early and were easily flooded. Especially the family of Ms. Tran Thi Bac in Thanh Duc commune, where the floodwaters rose rapidly during the night, she did not have time to move food, furniture... her house and property were deeply submerged in floodwaters.

On the night of September 28, people and authorities in many localities in Thanh Chuong stayed up all night to guard against floods, arrange furniture in their homes, evacuate people, move property... Wherever they heard the sound of drums and gongs, people were ready to cross the flood waters to help people.

Dai Dong commune authorities help people move livestock through floodwaters. Photo: Contributor

Ms. Chu Thi Hao - President of Thanh Huong Commune Women's Union said that from 11pm on September 28 to early morning on September 29, the commune's functional forces divided into small groups, went to each hamlet to help flooded families, evacuate the elderly and children, support people in transporting food, and moving livestock and poultry to high places in the area. According to Ms. Hao, amid the heavy rain, the most difficult thing was moving the pigs at night.

Last night, some localities also experienced severe landslides, many old trees fell. In addition, local power outages in some places while floodwaters rose rapidly also made it difficult to evacuate people, move property and livestock.

Dai Dong commune authorities are on duty to help people escape the flood. Photo: Contributor

Mr. Tran Cong Thang in Thanh An commune said: “Last night, many families in An Phu hamlet, Thanh An commune had landslides that reached their houses, very dangerous. It is still raining very heavily, there is a possibility of more landslides, local people are very worried, especially if the landslide happens at night.”

The circulation of storm No. 4 has caused heavy damage to people in many localities in Thanh Chuong, many areas of crops and industrial trees were flooded and broken, many areas of aquaculture, especially fish ponds, were completely lost...

On the night of September 28, due to the water rising so quickly, many fish farmers were unable to react in time. Mr. Phan Van Bay in Dong Hoa hamlet, Thanh Hoa commune said that last night his family had to helplessly watch the water overflow their 3.3-hectare fish pond, with an estimated 4 tons of fish being swept away by the water.

On the night of September 28, Mr. Trinh Van Nha, Chairman of Thanh Chuong district, promptly arrived with the people, quickly directed flood prevention in the localities, requested functional forces and the political system from the district to the grassroots to focus on natural disaster prevention, search and rescue, and rescue according to the motto "4 on-site".

Localities prioritize supporting families affected by flooding, landslides, moving assets, evacuating people to safe places; assigning forces to guard vulnerable points, especially dams, flooded roads, and fast-flowing water; promptly reporting to the District People's Committee when there are unusual incidents for support. At the same time, people also need to proactively plan to ensure the safety of life and property, avoiding subjectivity...

Local policies prioritize the elderly, sick people, and children during flood evacuation. Photo: Contributor

Currently, in Thanh Chuong district, there is still heavy rain, the water level of Lam River, Giang River, Gang River, Ro River, Trai River..., along with the system of streams and creeks are rising rapidly, causing the risk of flooding and flash floods on a large scale. The Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue at all levels, together with the police and militia forces of the localities, have organized to be on duty, coordinating with the people to fight floods at all times.

Huy Thu