Authorities stretch to clear National Highway 40B
After a long period of heavy rain, National Highway 40B from Tra My commune to Tra Leng commune still has dozens of old and new landslides. Along the route, large patches of rocks and soil collapsed, some places were still wet, showing that the landslide had only occurred not long before.
The authorities had to divide into many teams, continuously using machinery to clear each section, opening the way for people and vehicles.
In many places, rocks and soil spilled straight across the road, hitting people's houses, leaving the scene in disarray. The road surface is covered with mud, creating slippery sections that force vehicles to stop.
There are landslides of entire rocks and soil, the space is divided by dangerous long slides from the top of the mountain to the foot of the road. From afar, the cracks are clearly visible on the mountainside, threatening to continue to slide down at any time.
Recorded during the entire move, the authorities were still clearing land and opening roads, while the military working groups continuously brought in and out supplies to support households that were still isolated.
Teachers overcome landslides return to school
In the context of complicated traffic, at Tra Leng 2 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Tra Leng commune), teachers and students have just returned to class after 3 weeks of break to ensure safety in floods. In the past, despite being allowed to take a day off from teaching, many teachers and staff are still often worried about whether the school will be affected or damaged by heavy rain or not.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, a kitchen staff at the school, recounted: As soon as the rain stopped, the teachers and I wanted to return to the school to see the situation. The principal in that area knew the road was in danger so he blocked it, because we were worried that there would be landslides. But really, everyone's heart is impatient.
On the way in, there were landslides that had to be accompanied by soldiers using cranes to clear the road. Although it is dangerous, everyone hopes to go to the school to clean up if there is any damage, so that when the children return, they can have a decent class".
According to Mr. Bui Quang Ngoc, Principal of Tra Leng 2 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, the school has 397 students in 5 classes. The prolonged storms forced the school to let students stay home from school for 3 weeks, mainly to ensure safety, because the roads to the village were constantly cut off.
Although students have started to return to school, according to Mr. Ngoc, up to now, they have not been able to receive 100% of the students because some roads in the area are still heavily eroded, the bridge and culverts are damaged, causing children from far away to not be able to go to school.
"Immediately after the storm and flood, the school assigned teachers to each village and house to encourage students to return to class as soon as possible. Many teachers had to directly guide students through landslides and walk a long distance to get to the main road," said the Principal of Tra Leng 2 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities.
Not only are there difficulties in transportation, many students at the school are also heavily affected by natural disasters. Some houses were seriously eroded; some were completely washed away, making the stabilization of their lives more urgent than ever.
Although landslides are still surrounding and danger is still hanging on the mountainsides, in the midst of that vast rock and soil, the wooden roofs are still strongly planted with red flags with yellow stars. The national flag color is like a silent affirmation: natural disasters can knock down mountains and forests, but cannot shake the will, belief and efforts of the people of Tra Leng and the functional forces who are working day and night to cross the route, restoring a peaceful life to the highlands.
Image of flood recovery work:
