Writing on the flood peak of Central Vietnam
Urged to write about the examples of journalists working hard on the front line against natural disasters, I closely followed each issue of Nghe An, People's Army, Labor, Tien Phong, Tuoi Tre... From September 31 to October 13, 2010, Labor Newspaper used 15 reports, notes and 34 news and photos of journalists Thanh Hai, Ha Binh, Giao Huong, and Pham Viet Thang.
The People's Army Newspaper published 17 articles reflecting and recording and more than 40 news and photos on the topic of rescuing people, rescuing property, and hydroelectric projects. The articles almost took up all the important positions on page one with the continuous appearance of authors Tran Hoai, Phan Anh, Duy Minh, Trung Kien, Thanh Hai, Ha Binh... and the person who stayed the longest in the flood area was still journalist Tran Hoai.
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Reporters working in flooded areas - Photo: PV |
The core of each author's article is the struggle with the great flood to save people submerged by floodwaters in the communes of Tan Hoa, Thuong Hoa, Van Hoa, Son Trach, Huong Khe. The respected characters of the article are officers and soldiers of unit C68, group B24, group Binh Long, Border Guards of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Nghe An, and 6 farmers in Son Trach, Xuan Son who let the floodwaters sweep away their houses and family property to row a tourist boat to rescue 300 elderly people, children, and women who were panicking, struggling on rooftops, treetops, struggling in the face of the roaring floodwaters that were rising higher and higher.
The characters in the reportage "Eighteen communes escaped the great flood" by journalists Ha Binh and Tat Thang, published on page one of Lao Dong newspaper on October 5, are officers and soldiers of the Huong Khe Military Command, Military Region 4.
From the night of October 3 to the early morning of October 4, the rescue team forgot hunger and cold to protect the Ho Ho irrigation dam, which was at risk of collapsing. They found a solution to protect the dam and save thousands of lives by pulling the generator and opening two floodgates that were blocked by soil, rocks, and trees that had crushed the 35 kilovolt transformer station.
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The article was like a message that not only relieved the anxiety of the leaders but also eased the burning worries of people far from their hometowns in Phuc Trach (Ha Tinh), Huong Hoa (Quang Binh) and more than ten other communes located at the foot of the dam that has exceeded its capacity of more than 40 million m3 of water.
The strength of Lao Dong newspaper is reportage, is that why the articles "Ngôn ngang sau thuy", "Khe troi khe dat, Huong Khe", "Xot xa nguoi trong thuy", "Tu noi noi dam thuy Quang Binh", "Thap nhien...bún" by journalists Ha Binh, Pham Viet Thang, Thanh Hai have created emotions, sympathy, sharing the loss, bitterness, and hardship of people in flood-affected areas in millions of hearts at home and abroad.
Not reaching Len Voi area, Tan Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district, where more than 300 households took refuge from the flood, hungry, sick, had to collect dry leaves to make blankets for nearly 7 days. Not reaching Thuong Hoa commune (Minh Hoa), where 700 isolated Ruc people lived, had to dig up forest roots, cut banana leaves to build huts.
If you don't ask people in flooded areas "What do you need now?", they will answer in a whisper: "I crave salt and rice, uncle." If you don't go to the area south of Gianh River, where water covers the fields and beaches, people who drowned or died of disease have to wait for the water to recede for burial... then how can you create persuasiveness in your articles?
Journalists like Thanh Hai and Le Phi, when coming into contact with the miserable fate of Mrs. Tran Thi Thao, a widow with three children and a dilapidated house in Van Hoa commune, choked up and took out the last money she had saved for the business trip and handed it to her grandson, Luong Viet Hung, advising him to try to go to university.
A series of articles by the People's Army newspaper: "People's support", "Where there are soldiers in difficult times", "Helping people ease their pain", "In times of trouble, human love shines brighter", also contributed to creating confidence for people to overcome floods.
All the elements, emotions, and courage that are so necessary for journalists, if they only stop at the insensitive, superficial word "No", then how could the historic flood in early October, which caused nearly 300 billion VND in damage, leaving 86 people dead or missing; how could journalists at Lao Dong, Quan Doi Nhan Dan, and Tien Phong newspapers have written articles that touched the hearts of millions of readers?
It was not until October 19 that the floodwaters receded, leaving behind terrible devastation in Bo Trach, Tuyen Hoa, Son Trach (Quang Binh), in Huong Khe, Can Loc, Duc Tho (Ha Tinh), Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc (Nghe An), that the C68 and B24 groups, Military Region 4, rushed back into the fight to deal with the environment, build houses for people, and clean up schools for children to go to school.
A reporter from the People's Army newspaper called me with a short line: "The editorial office's order for the group of reporters stationed in Quang Binh is to withdraw from their positions only when the troops have completed their task of overcoming the consequences of the flood." He added, his voice hoarse, that he was with the People's Army newspaper group to deliver relief gifts to the people in the flooded area of Son Trach. Looking far to the South, the sky was still heavy with water, making me more confident in my colleagues following the footsteps of the relief team!
Van Hien
