Exhausted by prolonged flooding

For the past four days, people in many hamlets in Lam Thanh commune (Nghe An province) have had to live amidst the vast, murky waters. On the afternoon of October 2, the weather began to clear up and the sun appeared, but the Lam River from upstream continued to pour in.

On the afternoon of October 2, in Hung Loi 2 hamlet (Lam Thanh commune), there were only a few people left on some high-rise buildings, most of the people had evacuated when the flood came. Some households rowed boats to Ta Lam dike to take care of buffalo, cows, pigs and look after their belongings. People had to stretch tarps and set up temporary tents on the dike to keep livestock; poultry such as chickens and ducks were mostly swept away by the flood and could not be gathered in time.

Mrs. Phan Thi Lam lamented: “Now there is no electricity, we cannot bathe, we have to eat instant noodles and dry food. In 1988 there was also a big flood but it was not as terrible and long lasting as this one. Just thinking about the pile of belongings submerged in water and mud and the cleanup after the flood is exhausting.”

Mr. Nguyen Truong Thanh, member of the Nghe An Province Civil Defense Command, said that as of the afternoon of October 2, the entire province still had 28 communes, 216 villages with nearly 17,000 households (more than 72,000 people) deeply flooded due to rising river water levels. The Provincial Military Command mobilized nearly 28,000 officers and soldiers along with 56 rescue boats; the Provincial Police also mobilized more than 4,200 officers and soldiers and more than 11,000 grassroots security forces to support the people.

People in Dong Tien commune ( Thanh Hoa province) salvage fallen rice after the storm and flood.

In Thanh Hoa province, on October 2, taking advantage of the sunshine and receding water levels, people in many communes went to the fields to harvest rice. However, because the rice was exposed to wind and soaked in water for a long time, most of it collapsed and was damaged, so farmers could only salvage it by hand, only some areas could harvest by machine. According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Thanh Hoa province, the storm and floods caused 6,295 hectares of rice, 3,239 hectares of annual crops, 2,158 hectares of forestry trees, 502 hectares of fruit trees... to be severely damaged.

According to the Irrigation Department (Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ha Tinh province), as of 2:00 p.m. on October 2, floodwaters in many places had receded, and flooding had significantly reduced. However, more than 5,200 households were still flooded, mainly in communes outside the La Giang dike and along the river. On National Highway 1, the section passing through Bac Hong Linh ward was still flooded about 0.7m deep; authorities had set up barriers and banned vehicles from passing to ensure safety.

The entire Ha Tinh province has restored power to nearly 361,000 customers (73%), basically restored the communication system and clean water supply to 135,000/159,775 customers (83.2%). 657 educational establishments have resumed teaching, while 19 schools have not been able to operate due to flooding.

Prime Minister directs to focus on quickly overcoming the consequences of storm No. 10

Faced with the serious damage caused by storm No. 10 and floods, on October 2, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed an official dispatch requesting ministries, branches and localities to urgently mobilize all resources, focus on overcoming the consequences, and ensure the stability of people's lives and production as soon as possible. Urgently repair affected schools and medical facilities, ensure students have classrooms, have enough books and notebooks, and people have places to see a doctor and receive medical treatment.

The Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security have directed units stationed in the area to prepare forces, supplies, equipment, and vehicles (including helicopters if necessary) to support localities in overcoming the consequences, especially in isolated areas. The Ministry of Finance has been asked to urgently synthesize and propose financial support for emergency recovery, and report to the Prime Minister on October 2.

DUY CUONG - DUONG QUANG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/kiet-suc-vi-lu-keo-dai-post816063.html