Run from flood at night
Following the developments of storm No. 3, Ms. Trieu Quynh Anh (Thai Nguyen City) was somewhat less worried when the wind level weakened after making landfall. She thought that the storm would dissipate, the clouds would clear, the sky would clear, and life would return to normal.
However, the heavy rain kept pouring down. Lying in her rented room in Tuc Dan ward, she couldn't sleep because it had been a long time since there had been such a heavy and long rain.
Suddenly, there was a shout from the end of the alley "flooded, water rising, the street is flooded, run away from the flood or it will be too late".
The young girl woke up, just in time to move the refrigerator, washing machine and some clothes up with her roommate. The floodwaters rose rapidly. In the middle of the night, the sound of shouting and moving things to escape the flood caused chaos throughout the area.
"Uncle, please save my family, my mother is paralyzed and my brother works far away, I can't carry her alone, water is flooding into my mother's bedroom" - in the distance, a 14-year-old girl's cry for help ran to the house. Immediately, the authorities sent someone to the house to help her mother get to safety.
At the same time, police and military forces assisted people on flooded streets to evacuate the elderly and children and move belongings and property to safety. Warehouses with hundreds of tons of rice, food, clothing, goods, etc. were all supported and transported by the militia to avoid flooding.
At the same time, authorities have set up blockades and warning ropes to prevent people and vehicles from passing through deeply flooded roads.
"Seeing the army and police means we're alive" - the voices of two old people talking to each other after being helped to move to a high, safe place made everyone feel a little less worried.
"Hundreds of people braved the rain, looking towards the rescue boats of the authorities, frantically searching for their relatives among those brought ashore. Then the worry increased when the body of a child swept away by the flood on the afternoon of September 9 was found. When they saw it, many people burst into tears. But the authorities persisted in bringing people out of the flooded area, while providing necessities to those trapped.
After being safe on the second floor of an acquaintance's house, looking down at the raging floodwaters, gradually submerging loved ones in the murky, fast-flowing water, the soldiers still wading in the flood to try their best to save people's lives and property, I thought to myself, if I could choose again, I would still choose to be Vietnamese" - Ms. Quynh Anh recalled.
The charity trips
The flood has not yet ended, but people in the flood-hit areas are facing numerous difficulties as they are isolated, separated, lacking food, medicine and even daily necessities.
Understanding the hardships, these days, philanthropists across the country have shared love and support with people in flood-affected areas.
On all the roads to Lao Cai, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Lang Son, hundreds of trucks lined up with the words "Supporting flood victims in the North", bringing hope to the mountains, making passersby feel warm.
Wiping away the sweat that was running down his face, Nguyen Ngoc Hieu, a student at the Faculty of Tourism, Thai Nguyen University of Science, confided while packing meals with the locals to deliver to flooded households: "When the flood came, I was at school. When I returned to my room, the water had risen half a meter. I only had time to grab my phone and run away, without being able to get any more clothes than the ones I was wearing.
We split up to help sort the supplies, pack them into small bags and bring them to the people by police and military boats. Although we worked from morning to midnight, everyone encouraged each other to keep going, because compared to the hardships of the government and the comrades directly involved in the rescue, wading through the floodwaters for days and nights, it was nothing. We just wanted to contribute a small part, hoping that the people would soon overcome the difficulties."
In Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province, although the rain has not stopped, at the Cultural House of Bai Chao village, Tu Son commune, more than a dozen people, some contributing money, some contributing labor, some washing rice, some washing leaves, washing beans, cutting meat, no one telling anyone, the work is surprisingly unified.
Quickly scooping out the cooked banh chung to drain the water, Ms. Bui Thi My Le (Bai Chao hamlet, Tu Son commune) shared: "We are also in a mountainous province, but fortunately we are safer than other provinces. That's why some families gathered together to contribute rice, beans and ingredients to wrap banh chung and send it to people in flooded areas. I hope everyone will soon overcome the difficulties."
Relief trucks continue to roll, carrying not only relief goods but also hugs and sincere words of encouragement, soothing the pain of natural disasters.
