“At around 11:30 p.m. on September 9, the first landslide hit the management building,” Nguyen Quang Vinh, Head of the Management Division of the Nam Luc Hydropower Plant in Nam Luc Commune, Lao Cai Province, emotionally recalled. The dining area and part of the management building were submerged in rocks and soil after the loud crash.
Mr. Vinh and 18 others were lucky to escape from a part of the administration building that was not affected. Some staff members heard the sound of the rocks and shouted for everyone to run, some were pushed out into the yard and buried, others ran out but were hit by rocks and debris. After the landslide stopped, everyone tried to calm down and shouted for each other to go back to rescue the victims.
There were 27 people on duty at the plant to fight the flood. After the water flooded the hydroelectric plant below, everyone decided to move to the control house - built on higher ground - to avoid and rest. But unexpectedly, a landslide came.
During that night, 7-8 consecutive landslides occurred at the administration building. 22 people were lucky to escape the disaster, some with minor injuries, some with serious injuries, supporting each other along the small path up the hill. In an open space that everyone thought was temporarily safe, we divided into groups of three and sat together near each tree.
“The weather at that time was dirty, rainy and slippery. We were not familiar with the mountain roads, so we could not risk going back to the commune at night,” Vinh recalled.
22 people sat together on the hill, in a place where there was no electricity and no phone signal, completely isolated, staying up all night. When the first rays of dawn appeared, everyone looked down the hill, looking for the operator. The image before their eyes was a flat land filled with mud and water. On the border between life and death, colleagues in trouble in the night, those images will haunt them forever.
At noon on September 10, a group of hydropower plant staff went down to Ban Cai to take shelter at the Ban Cai Cultural House and received assistance from the authorities. Among the 5 missing people recorded at that time, there were the Director and a couple. 5 days after receiving information about the incident and starting the rescue work, the police, soldiers, militia and self-defense forces combined with some machines found the bodies of 5 buried staff.
Support to overcome difficulties
After the storm passed, the rain and floods receded. All roads were washed away, and the hydroelectric plant was completely isolated, with no access. After 10 days, the plant staff could only walk in to inspect the site.
After half a month, only small vehicles or construction vehicles can access the project, through a muddy, rocky road that is barely wide enough for one lane. There are many landslides on the road leading to the factory. The district has cleared them to allow vehicles to enter, but the risk of landslides is still lurking.
According to Mr. Nguyen Tat Anh - the newly appointed director in charge of the project, the rising river water flooded the entire hydroelectric plant, causing complete paralysis and making it impossible to operate. This is a very shocking issue for the business.
“After half a month, the power lines still cannot be restored to pump out water and mud,” said Mr. Tat Anh. The extent of the devastation and damage caused by the storm is enormous. The estimated damage to property and infrastructure is over 100 billion VND, not including the downtime for factory repairs and no revenue.
Currently, after visiting and sharing the loss of staff and families of victims in the landslide, the staff and leaders of the hydropower plant are cleaning up, surveying and restoring equipment. The plant has received support from local authorities and banks in overcoming the damage caused by storms, floods and landslides.
In particular, Saigon - Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB) has immediately waived interest and provided new preferential credit for the factory. Specifically, SHB has immediately waived VND5 billion in interest payable in September and committed to reducing 50% of interest payable until the end of 2024, estimated at a total of more than VND10 billion.
At the same time, SHB will provide a credit limit of VND50 billion with an interest rate of 4.5%/year for the factory to invest in equipment and soon recover business operations. In addition, SHB will also implement debt restructuring measures for businesses according to regulations.
Mr. Nguyen Tat Anh said that while the Factory's staff were suffering from the psychological and ideological loss of their colleagues, SHB's staff quickly took the initiative to meet and share the pain both mentally and materially.
"This is a special and meaningful support for the Factory's staff in difficult times, demonstrating the spirit of mutual love and support. This humanity is a solid foundation for us to "get up" and become stronger after the losses," said Mr. Nguyen Tat Anh.
Mr. Pham Quang Huy - Deputy Director of SHB Lao Cai Branch - shared that the recent storm No. 3 has caused very serious consequences for the Northern provinces, of which Lao Cai is one of the provinces that suffered the most damage in terms of people and property. During the flood, SHB Lao Cai's Board of Directors assessed that there would be businesses, people, and industries that would be greatly affected.
Specifically, businesses in the mining, hydropower, and tourism sectors will be directly affected, so they have directed staff to contact all customers who are borrowing capital at SHB to grasp information and make initial assessments of the damage in order to prepare a plan to support customers.
