Don't wait until the wind blows before you worry about fixing the roof - Part 2: After the storm and flood pass, human love remains

BAC NINH - After the storm and flood, local authorities and functional agencies quickly deployed a series of measures to restore production and stabilize people's lives. Mud-filled roads, landslides, roofless houses, devastated fields... were gradually revived thanks to the drastic, synchronous participation and solidarity of the people. It was the consensus, sharing and determination to overcome the disaster that strengthened human ties, lighting a warm fire after the storm.

Quickly remedy the consequences

After the severe flood last August, hundreds of households in Linh Phu, Dong Xuan, and Say villages in Tuan Dao commune fell into a situation of lack of water for daily use. In the highland terrain, the villages do not have a centralized water supply system. Up to now, the people here have pooled money to buy pipes and contributed to bringing water from the stream to the village. However, when the flood came, the entire system was broken, causing the source of daily use water to dry up. During the days of water scarcity, the commune had to send water tankers to each household to share little by little. Ms. Ngoc Thi Lien, in Linh Phu village, emotionally shared: "The flood isolated people so they had no drinking water, life was extremely difficult. Luckily, we received timely support from the commune's volunteer forces, so we had water for cooking."

As soon as the water receded, officers and soldiers of Tuan Dao Commune Police helped people clean up the environment.

As soon as the water receded, the commune mobilized forces to urgently handle the incident. For many consecutive days, people and commune officials soaked in the cold water, installing and reconnecting the pipeline. The water pipeline from the mountain to the village is nearly a kilometer long, where the terrain is difficult, causing frequent interruptions in the restoration work, but no one gave up. Not only did they have to work on the shore, they also had to wade deep, climb over large rocks, sometimes slipping, jumping up and falling down, scratches and bleeding were common. Present at the scene, we heard each other's calls echoing through the dense trees, each step crossing the still-flowing water. Strong hands, sweaty tanned skin still did not stop. Some stretched themselves to carry the pipe, others tied it, taking advantage of the water and current to move the water pipe.

The Military Command and Tuan Dao Agricultural Cooperative coordinated to send forces to reconnect the water pipeline for people's daily use.

Despite the hardship, the spirit of solidarity and determination of the people of Tuan Dao helped the water source return to the village on the occasion of National Day, September 2, bringing joy to many people. Mr. Nguyen The Nam, Deputy Commander of the Commune Military Command, said: "Water is life, the villagers look forward to it every day. We are trying our best to help people have water soon."

The terrain at the water pipe connection area is quite dangerous due to the fast flowing stream and many sharp rocks.

In Yen Dinh commune, immediately after the flood receded, hundreds of people from Trai Rang village urgently gathered at Ao Giang underground area to clean up and clear the only road connecting the village with the commune center.

Unlike previous years, this time the flood swept away a large amount of rock and soil, leaving behind a layer of mud several centimeters thick, making the underground surface muddy and cutting off traffic. Responding to the call of the Party Committee and the government, local people from old to young, regardless of the scorching sun, used hoes, shovels, and rudimentary tools to rake mud, scoop up soil, and clean every meter of road. The sound of the engine pumping water to clean the road mixed with the calls of the people with mud-stained hands working diligently. After about an hour, the road through Ao Giang underground was dry and clear again.

People of Trai Rang village, Yen Dinh commune urgently cleaned up mud left behind after the flood.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thanh, Secretary of the village Party Cell, said: “Most of the people in the village are ethnic minorities. People advise each other on how to do business and unite to build a new cultural life. When the announcement about underground cleaning was made, every household arranged for someone to participate, thanks to which the road was soon cleared, making it easy and convenient for students to go to school.”

After the flood receded, many major roads through the highland communes were also covered by thick layers of mud, obstructing traffic. Provincial and national highway management units coordinated with local authorities to urgently fix the problem. Under the direction of the Department of Construction, the Bac Ninh Road Maintenance Management Board coordinated with regular maintenance contractors to conduct on-site inspections, determine damage and promptly handle incidents.

At the locations of landslides on the slopes of the positive slopes, rocks and soil filled the longitudinal ditches and spilled onto the road surface. The authorities mobilized hundreds of specialized vehicles and equipment to clean up and ensure smooth traffic. Damaged structures of ditches, roads, and cross-culverts were all posted with warning signs and traffic was properly diverted. Warning ropes were used to stretch out and break down safety guardrails, and guards were assigned to monitor the damage progress. At the same time, the Provincial People's Committee Chairman was requested to declare an emergency and issue an order to build emergency works according to regulations.

Tam Tien commune police officers guide vehicles on provincial road 294B through the landslide area.

It is worth mentioning that Provincial Road 294B, the section passing through Tam Tien Commune, had a serious landslide last August. Immediately after that, the Commune People's Committee mobilized human resources and machinery to urgently clear rocks and soil, ensuring smooth traffic. This is a vital route connecting Bac Ninh with Thai Nguyen, with the meaning of shortening travel time, promoting trade, socio-economic development, and connecting industrial parks and tourist spots of the two provinces. Due to the large traffic volume, locations that have not been completely handled still have the potential risk of landslides, causing insecurity. Therefore, Tam Tien Commune regularly issues warnings to keep people vigilant when traveling.

Dai Son Commune brings machinery to help people overcome damage after floods.

According to the Provincial Civil Defense Command, immediately after the flood, thousands of cubic meters of earth and rocks were cleared by the authorities and people in the fastest time, and many minor damages were temporarily handled. The authorities continue to review and count the damage to have a plan to thoroughly fix it, ensure traffic safety and stabilize people's lives.

Unite and overcome the "life and death battle"

Natural disasters are always a harsh test of human endurance and solidarity. Practical experience shows that, in any circumstance, at any time, people across the country in general, and Bac Ninh in particular, have always promoted the spirit of mutual love and solidarity, united to overcome difficulties to minimize damage. Not only in the storms at the beginning of the year until now, but that spirit was clearly demonstrated through the historic storm Yagi (storm No. 3) last year - a hurricane accompanied by floods raging across the North, causing terrible devastation.

People of Tuan Dao commune help each other move property to avoid floods.

Faced with the danger that threatened people's lives and property, the entire political system of Bac Ninh province quickly took action, activating response plans, prioritizing the goal of protecting people. Roofs were blown off houses, dykes were threatened, dozens of villages were isolated in the middle of the vast sea of ​​water, all creating a fierce "life-or-death battle". In that dangerous moment, the image of military and police officers wading in floodwaters, disregarding danger, staying up all night to bring relief goods to the people became a vivid symbol of courage and responsibility.

Troubleshooting at Cong Bun Pumping Station. Photo courtesy.

Notably, the leak at the discharge tank of Cong Bun Pumping Station, located in Bac Giang city, now Tien Phong ward, occurred last year, an emergency situation that could have caused consequences equivalent to a dike break on the Thuong River. In the "brain-wrenching" moment, the provincial leaders directly directed the scene overnight, mobilizing the army as the core to handle the incident. The image of father and son "frogmen" Nguyen Van Lua and Nguyen Van Hai, regardless of the danger to their lives, diving deep into the whirlpool for hours to close the sluice gate moved and impressed many people. Thanks to the tireless efforts, the incident was promptly resolved, protecting the safety of thousands of households and key industrial zones.

Authorities focused on fixing the problem at Cong Bun Pumping Station. Photo courtesy.

The spirit of overcoming floods spread everywhere. During the night, hundreds of households in Hop Thinh commune were evacuated to safe places. Forces worked all night to fix the dike overflow, restore electricity and communication. Water and food relief trucks quietly headed to the flooded areas in the pouring rain, hastily wrapped banh chung, "free" trucks full of humanity, all lit a warm fire in the middle of the storm. "It's a hundred times easier to endure without people, a thousand times harder to do it with people's help", it was touching when Mr. Pham Dang Nen in Ngoc Thien commune shared: "My family has a pig farm so we have many sacks available. When hearing that Cong Bun Pumping Station needed support, regardless of the long distance, my family used a car to transport 1,500 sacks to the site so that the authorities could contain sand and materials to help fix the problem". The hearts of Mr. Nen and hundreds of other people put aside their personal affairs to take care of the common work, further strengthening the people's strength in flood and storm prevention.

Authorities of Son Dong district (old) help move people out of dangerous areas due to natural disasters. Photo: Archive.

There are so many images and actions imbued with humanity during the storm and flood that cannot be counted. When the storm and flood pass, humanity remains, thereby further fostering the precious tradition of the Vietnamese people in the spirit of solidarity, mutual assistance, joint efforts, and unity to overcome all difficulties and challenges.

According to the leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the lessons learned in flood and storm prevention and control are valuable experiences for the province to clearly identify limitations and continue to perfect its natural disaster prevention and control strategy in a more systematic, effective and sustainable manner. Thereby, protecting people's lives from unpredictable changes of extreme weather.

Economic Reporter Group (continued)

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/dung-de-noi-gio-moi-lo-chang-mai-bai-2-bao-lu-di-qua-tinh-nguoi-o-lai-postid425621.bbg