Small traders struggle to overcome damage after storm and flood - Cao Bang Electronic Newspaper

After storms No. 10 and No. 11 made consecutive landfall, the Green Market area (Thuc Phan ward) was covered in mud, wet goods, and a devastated scene. Many small traders were left empty-handed, their assets and goods were swept away by floodwaters, causing heavy damage.

Due to the impact of storms No. 10 and No. 11, the water level of the Bang River rose rapidly, flooding the Green Market and neighboring businesses. The entire market was submerged in water, some places were more than 2 meters deep. The once bustling rows of stalls now had only mud and ruined shelves, causing many small traders to suffer losses of hundreds of millions to billions of dong, even losing their entire businesses that they had accumulated over the years. "What else is there?" - that was the common answer of most small traders when talking about the damages and losses. The Green Market, the most bustling and bustling in the area, now had only piles of mud, ruined shelves, signs and the sound of excavators and pumps cleaning up.

Green Market, Thuc Phan ward is full of mud.

Main commodities such as candy, dried noodles, rice, fresh seafood, meat, fish, fruits... were all damaged. "Everything was destroyed overnight, no one here had time to move their goods" - Ms. Hoang Thanh Mo, a grocery store owner at the Green Market, choked up. "I have never witnessed such a scene. The water flooded in so quickly, we had no time to react. Everything was gone... in my house, the TV, refrigerator, washing machine were all swept away by the water. There was nothing we could do, we could only watch the water carry them away..."

Confectionery traders try to salvage their assets after the storm and flood.

Not only Mrs. Mo, all the other small traders were in the same situation. The area inside the market, where the shoe and dry goods stalls were concentrated, was even more damaged. All the goods were submerged in water and completely damaged.

Garbage and mud stagnated in the market.

Ms. Do Thi Hoa, who sells clothes in the middle of the market, said in tears: "My store just imported clothes to prepare for the cold season, everything was soaked with water and damaged. Dozens of new clothes, coats, woolen shoes, and bedding are now soaked and muddy. The estimated damage is about 700 million VND. It's a total loss. Now I'm taking my clothes to the laundry and I don't know if anyone will buy them."  

In addition, all the service businesses and shops along the river behind the market were heavily affected. Just after cleaning up after storm No. 10, before they could stabilize, storm No. 11 came and turned everything into a pile of rubble and desolation. Outside, mud covered the walkways, slippery and heavy; each step of the people was a deep sink in the thick mud.

All the stalls were covered in mud.

Ms. La Khanh Ly, Owner of Cao Bang Eco Bistro Pizza - Cao Bang Eco Travel shared: We have raised the tables and chairs and moved some assets to a safe place, however, all the furniture, machinery, baking equipment, refrigerators, kitchen utensils on the first floor were flooded and damaged, the elevator system was severely damaged. The whole street was like that, some people suffered little damage, some suffered a lot...

No electricity, no water is the current common situation. As soon as the water receded, everyone immediately started cleaning up. With the support of the army, police, militia, women's union, and youth union members, everyone worked together to shovel mud, wash every item, hoping to salvage whatever they could.

Hundreds of households in the entire Green Market area and neighboring businesses were directly affected, with an estimated total value of hundreds of billions of VND. Not only did they lose their goods, many households also had their houses flooded, their household assets were swept away, etc. Currently, the Market Management Board and local authorities are focusing on reviewing and counting the damage and proposing to relevant agencies measures to support small traders, first of all, supporting necessities, environmental sanitation, and proposing other support options so that people can soon stabilize their businesses.

The storm has passed, but the pain and loss of the people of the Green Market still exist. When the market was the busiest in the area, the small traders who used to be bustling with greetings and bargaining now only sigh about the great loss. We really need the joint help of the government, organizations and individuals so that the small traders who depend on the market every day to support their families can firmly overcome the difficulties and stabilize their lives.

Dieu Linh

Source: https://baocaobang.vn/cac-tieu-thuong-gong-minh-khac-phuc-thiet-hai-sau-bao-lu-3181181.html