Worried about storms and floods, students anxiously call: "Is your family okay?"

(Dan Tri) - Every time the Central region is overwhelmed by storms and floods, in remote lecture halls, calls saying "home is fine" become the biggest comfort for students.

Anxious calls from the lecture hall

Living away from home to study, many students are both worried about their parents and helpless when they cannot be there to support their families during the storm.

During an afternoon class, Tran Thi Anh (from Ha Tinh), a student at the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City, kept looking at her phone screen. The constant news about storm No. 10 (Bualoi) hitting the Central region made her restless.

“My house is near the mountain, every time a storm comes I worry about landslides and rising flood waters. Being away from home, all I can do is turn on the phone and wait for my parents to call so I can hear their voices from home,” he shared.

In the eye of the storm, the phone becomes the only connection to family (Photo: Phuong Thao).

For female students, storms and floods are no longer strange things. Born and raised in Ha Tinh , she is all too familiar with days of pouring rain, howling winds, and sudden flash floods.

But that familiarity did not lessen her anxiety. On the contrary, when sitting in class, hearing the news of the storm ravaging her homeland, the student's heart ached even more.

“I just hope that every call from home will say ‘everyone is fine’. That’s enough. I’m far away, I can’t do anything but encourage and hope my parents are safe,” Tran Thi Anh confided.

Sharing the same sentiment, Cong Hieu (from Nghe An), a student at the University of Natural Sciences , Ho Chi Minh City National University, sat in his rented room in Ho Chi Minh City, quietly dialing home. His father's voice on the other end of the line made him both reassured and troubled.

“Before, when I was still at home, I could help my parents reinforce the house and put up sandbags before the storm hit. Now that I’m far away, I hear about the storm but don’t know what’s going on back home. Every day, I can only text and call constantly to update the situation,” Hieu confided.

The constant calls and messages that connect them with their families like an invisible thread are the only attempt to ease their anxiety.

When the storm passed, the media reported on the heavy damage: houses with blown roofs, flooded fields, and livestock swept away... In the lecture halls, many young people could only hold back their emotions and call home to encourage their parents.

Unforgettable memories of storms

Storm No. 10 blew off the roofs of several houses in Huong Binh commune, Ha Tinh province (Photo: NVCC).

Childhood years associated with storms and floods have given people in the Central region courage, endurance and resilience. But for many students, the haunting pain from natural disasters has never subsided.

Gia Bao (from Quang Tri), a first-year student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, still remembers clearly the historic storm in 2024. That storm swept away many household items, leaving a big gap in his memory.

“Last year, my family lost a lot of things. My parents are farmers, their only assets are rice fields, cows, and vegetable gardens, which are the source of income to support us and our education. Being away from home, every time I hear about a storm, I worry that my parents’ most precious things will be swept away again,” Bao confided.

Another student from Quang Binh, Phuong Chi, also shared her terrifying memories of the flood: “During the last storm, my house was completely flooded, isolated from the surrounding people for more than a day before someone came to help. This storm No. 10, I am also afraid that my house will be isolated again, afraid that I will not be able to contact my parents when the storm hits.”

The fear of isolation and lack of information in times of crisis has become a great psychological burden for those living far away from home. They fear the moment when their phone signal is lost, fear the scene of their family fighting alone against the raging floodwaters.

“I just hope for one thing, that my family is safe. Lost belongings can be replaced, but my loved ones must be safe,” Gia Bao shared.

A large tree was uprooted, blocking the path, making it even more difficult for people to travel (Photo: NVCC).

Each message home reporting that the roof was blown off or trees were falling made her longing and helplessness increase.

“Seeing my parents having to re-tile the roof after the storm, I just told myself to try to study hard so that in the future I can help my parents in some way,” said Tran Thi Anh.

Rushed calls and expected messages are the constant haunting memories of storms and floods for Central students far from home.

They suppress their worries, turning their helplessness into motivation to study, with the only hope: when they return, they can bring a more stable and solid life to their family.

Phuong Thao

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/lo-bao-lu-sinh-vien-khac-khoai-cuoc-goi-nha-minh-on-khong-20251002090957222.htm