A golden heart warms people in flooded areas

Chanels in the midst of floods

In late November, when the fog of Khanh Vinh mountain was still hanging on the forest canopy, the people here had to wake up amid the mounting worries. The flash flood suddenly hit the mountainous area west of Khanh Hoa on the night of November 19, returning to a peaceful life and leaving behind an unnameable devastation.

The road leading to Nam Khanh Vinh commune is still muddy, cold winds from the valley blow through the wet roofs. Four days after the flood, the electricity had not yet returned, the phone signal was unstable - the whole region seemed isolated from the world. However, in the midst of those days of despair, the footsteps of those carrying the "golden heart" brought a warm breeze that made many pairs of hotel bottle hands shake with emotion.

In a cold, moist house that was covered in mud until the door, Ms. Cao Thi My (55 years old) flip up pieces of wet clothes, hoping to find some that she could still use. Standing up, she spoke as if afraid that her words would be torn away by the wind: "All of my house is gone. Now just a blanket to cover the cold is very expensive...".

In Da Trang village, people stood still next to the suspension bridge that was "swallowed" by the flood. Only the curved sections of iron hanging in the air remain. That bridge was the only way to the fields. Now, to go to work, people have to go around dozens of kilometers of slippery mountain passes.

Bringing warmth to people affected by floods

In the first three days after the flood, the entire commune was almost silent. No power. No phone signal. No distress call can be sent.

Until noon on November 22, while following the mountain road to find a place to contact, Ms. Cao Thi Ngoc Thoa - an officer of Khanh Vinh commune - finally caught the waves near Dien Khanh. Her voice choked up in a message sent to her: "The people are in dire need of food. The blanket is completely wet. The weather is too cold....

That short message opened an emergency relief journey. In just a few hours, the Golden Heart Social Charity Fund, the Trade Union and the Youth Union of Khanh Viet Corporation (Khatoco) Office immediately launched a donation campaign, collecting every blanket, every box of noodles, every bottle of clean water. The trucks packed with goods left in the afternoon.

On the afternoon of November 22, the first relief vehicles stopped in Nam Khanh Vinh commune. In front of the relief team is a muddy red dirt road, muddy up to the knees. The soldiers, cadres and young union members took turns carrying each sack, each bucket of water through the landslide, passing each other as if passing the warmth of people's hearts.

In the gathering area, people lined up shortly. There are elderly people who are fighting the stick early. Some people are still nervous because of the cold but do not forget to give way to households with young children.

When receiving the new blanket, an old lady burst into tears: "I've lost everything... but this blanket is too cold, my child".

The rustic words, but touched the bottom of the hearts of those who gave gifts. In a short time, the Golden Heart Fund received 25 high-end blankets and many warm clothes; the Trade Union and the Khanh Viet Youth Union bought 40 more boxes of water, 85 boxes of instant noodles, 100 fur blankets and hundreds of sets of clothes.

All night support

On the morning of November 23, in Dien Lam commune (Khanh Hoa), people were still busy cleaning up mud after the flood considered the biggest in many years. The Golden Heart Social Charity Fund and benefactors, including shrimp farmers in Bac Lieu, promptly transferred a trip from Binh Thuan with nearly 500 boxes of filtered water, 50 boxes of instant noodles, 39 boxes of cakes and 23 boxes of milk to support people that night.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Truc Nga (residing in Cho hamlet) said that her family had to temporarily stay at the Commune Party Committee headquarters for 4 days. Her mother had just undergone brain surgery. When the floodwaters rose rapidly, the militia took the whole family to safety.

"Thanks to the filtered water, milk, noodles and necessities of the donors, in the past few days we have not been hungry, nor too cold, even though life has almost returned to "3 no's": Electricity, water, communication" - Ms. Nga shared.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Tri - Secretary of the Party Committee of Dien Lam commune - said that although the locality is located in a high position, this flood "nearly submerged the entire body". Fortunately, the authorities promptly evacuated the people so there were no human casualties, but property and crops were almost completely lost.

"The most urgent thing right now is still clean water, food and the cooperation of the community. Only then can people recover soon from this historic flood" - Mr. Tri emphasized.

Floods can sweep away bridges and culverts, sweep away assets, and even sweep away the most trustworthy beliefs. But floods cannot sweep away the "golden hearts" that are always directed to people in flooded areas. The warmth of the blanket, the water bottles, the noodles - and above all, the warmth of humanity - lit up small fires for the people of Khanh Hoa to continue to stand up, move the roofs to patch the road and overcome the most difficult days of the historic flood season.