Thanh Chuong flood, people evacuated at night

According to records, from the afternoon and throughout the night of October 29,in Thanh Chuong districtheavy to very heavy rain. Prolonged heavy rain causes flood water in streams and Lam River to rise, causing isolation and flooding in many places.

Ngoc Lam commune has many villages completely isolated.

In particular, on the night of October 29, more than 800 houses in the communes of Vo Liet, Thanh Xuan, Thanh Tung, Thanh My, Thanh Khe... were flooded.

Officials of flooded communes are looking for ways to evacuate people at night.

Mr. Le Dinh Thanh - Vice Chairman of Thanh Chuong District People's Committee said that during the night, the district directed the deeply flooded communes of Vo Liet, Hanh Lam, Thanh Nho, Thanh Lien, Thanh My... to evacuate 423 deeply flooded households to safety.

Dung town was deeply flooded on the night of October 29.

People of Vo Liet commune run away from flood at night.

Communes with many households having to relocate include: Thanh Lien (450 households), Thanh Nho (nearly 100 households), Thanh Xuan (39 households), Thanh Long (30 households), Ngoc Lam (40 households)...

Thanh Chuong residents hang washing machines, steam fans and other appliances high up.

Heavy rains also caused serious landslides on many roads in Thanh Chuong. In particular, in the Ru Nguoc area (National Highway 46), hundreds of cubic meters of rock and soil were eroded on the afternoon of October 29. Some road sections were also eroded, such as the Thanh Huong to Ngoc Lam area. In particular, floodwaters swept away 1 bridge in Thanh Son commune; 4 temporary bridges, 1 spillway in Thanh Mai commune.

Landslide at Ru Nguoc. Photo: Van Ly

To ensure the safety of people in areas at high risk of landslides, Thanh Chuong has also evacuated nearly 900 households living in areas prone to landslides.

Currently, many hamlets and communes of Thanh Chuong are experiencing power outages.

Mr. Phan Van Dung, Chairman of Thanh Tung Commune People's Committee, said that heavy rain all night long had completely cut off and isolated Thanh Tung Commune. The deeply flooded areas included Cau Loi Bridge, the section bordering Thanh Ha Commune, and Yen Thanh Hamlet... In particular, in Thanh Tung Commune, a landslide occurred at the Cua Ong Dam area, making the road through this section impassable.

Mr. Le Dinh Thanh - Vice Chairman of Thanh Chuong District People's Committee inspected key points.

The news that Thanh Chuong, their hometown, was deeply flooded overnight also made many people far from home worried, almost unable to sleep all night. On many forums, many people wrote worried statuses; many people updated the phone numbers of rescue teams; many people posted information about families in need of urgent rescue...

At 5:00 a.m. on October 30, Mr. Le Dinh Thanh - Vice Chairman of Thanh Chuong District People's Committee said that the rain had not stopped, and a lot of water was pouring in from upstream, so the flood water was still rising. Up to this point, the flood in Thanh Chuong had injured 2 people, including one person in Thanh Thuy commune who got tangled in an electric wire while riding a motorbike, and another person in Hanh Lam commune who broke his arm while moving buffaloes to escape the flood. "The district is continuing to closely monitor and direct isolated hamlets and communes to have plans to ensure absolute safety for the people," said Mr. Le Dinh Thanh.