During the two days of unprecedentedly high floodwaters in Hoa Thinh commune (Dak Lak), Mr. Le Kim Tan - Head of the My Xuan 2 Veterans Association - and his relatives used 3 homemade boats to squeeze into each roof of the house to find, rescue and bring nearly 20 people to safety.
The story of his bravery and the "silent heroes" in the flood center has choked many people up.
Swinging "boats in floodwaters" to save people
On November 23, when the reporter was present in Hoa Thinh commune, the tragic scene after the historic flood was still clear.
Charity convoys are bustling into each village to support people. In My Tai group (My Xuan 2 village), nearly 80 households continuously mentioned the name Le Kim Tan (48 years old) with intertwined gratitude and emotion.
My Xuan 2 is one of the deepest flooded areas in this flood. Mr. Tan said that on the evening of November 19, the water had begun to rise but was still low.
By the afternoon of November 20, the flood rose unusually quickly. Realizing the dangerous situation, at 4pm the same day, he immediately moved the gas stove, rice, instant noodles and some food to the second floor - a room of only 20 square meters. After that, he took all 15 relatives and family members to the upper floor for shelter.
"After taking care of my family, I called my 3 brothers, 2 grandchildren and 1 brother-in-law to support the people in My Tai group.
My family has three small corrugated iron boats, bought a few years ago, now it has the opportunity to promote its effectiveness. Each boat only carries a maximum of 3 people, so we decided to go together to avoid risks" - Mr. Tan said.
In the family, he alone has experience in river management, so he often drives the boat first.
The three boats lined up in the white rain. When he visited each house, he used a roof to knock hard on the corrugated iron roof so that people could hear it.
"I asked about her health and flooding. Those in danger should take me to my house for shelter, and those who are safe should be encouraged to stay.
For two days and two nights, we took nearly 20 people to our small house" - he said.
Mr. Tan always brings instant noodles and hot rice to sell to people who are hungry. But above all, what makes people less confused is his promise: "If the water continues to rise, I will return immediately, no one will be left behind".
Among countless critical situations, Mr. Tan remembers most the case of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Anh Thu's family (53 years old).
Her house was in a low location so the water was quickly and deeply flooded. When Mr. Tan came to knock on the roof for the first time but did not hear anyone's answer, he had to return because it was raining so heavily, it was difficult for the family to hear no matter how hard they knocked.
"Coming home, my heart is always uneasy. I invited them back immediately. The second time knocking on the roof, Mrs. Thu luckily responded.
Opening the roof, the whole family was in a state of panic. I took everyone home, took care of the food and let them stay overnight" - Mr. Tan said.
Another case that made him feel heartbroken was Mrs. Pham Thi Hiep (70 years old) living alone.
When she heard the knocking, Mrs. Hiep burst into tears and called for help. When he crawled into the house through a small hole that had not yet been flooded, Mr. Tan saw that the woman had been fasting for more than a day. He immediately took her home to take care of her, feed her, and rest her.
According to Mr. Tan, when the water rose rapidly, not only his family but many others in the group also rushed to save people, such as Mr. Phan Quoc Phong (40 years old), Mr. Tran Quoc Tram (46 years old), Mr. Le Quang Cong (56 years old)... "Whoever has a boat uses a boat, whoever does not has one, swims, as long as they can save others" - he said emotionally.
Many "heroes" in the flood center of Hoa Thinh
The leader of Hoa Thinh Commune Police said that during the recent flood, many "silent heroes" who were police officers, security forces at the grassroots level and local people used boats and canoes to rescue people.
It was their courage and dedication that contributed to saving dozens of people from danger when floodwaters suddenly arrived.
The stories of selfless actions of Mr. Le Kim Tan and many people of Hoa Thinh are proof of the spirit of solidarity and affection of the Vietnamese people in times of trouble.
When the flood receded, everyone returned with the pain of loss, but also had in their hearts gratitude for those who were ready to put their lives in front of the fierce water to protect the village.
