Wherever the water recedes, clear the mud there.
At noon, many roads in hamlet 3, That Khe commune were still covered with a thick layer of mud. Garbage, sacks, clothes, household appliances and goods soaked in water were pulled out of the house, piled up along the road.
In small alleys, people wear boots, use brooms, shovels and water hoses to scrub the floors.
Under the hot sun, mud quickly dries up, clinging to each item. Wherever the water recedes, people take the opportunity to move there with the hope of bringing life back to normal soon.
Standing next to the items covered in mud, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Duoc (resident of village 3) said that his family has been doing business here for more than 30 years, has experienced many floods but has never witnessed water rising as high as this time.
According to Mr. Duoc, there is a flooded area of about 5m.
In previous years, the water only rose about half the price of goods, and it was possible to avoid placing things high. This year, the water has nearly doubled, flooding the entire store," he recounted.
Most of the goods in the warehouse were soaked in water, with estimated damage of nearly 200 million VND.
The water basically receded near dawn. At about 5 am, the family started cleaning, but there was too much mud, garbage and damaged goods, it could not be done in one day," Mr. Duoc said.
Not far from there, Mr. Hoang Manh Trung and his relatives took their belongings out to the toilet.
Mr. Trung recounted that on August 22, realizing the unusual situation, at about 10 pm, Mr. Trung called a car to transport the refrigerator and electronic equipment out of the flooded area.
The family has three young children, so he proactively buys instant noodles, meat, vegetables and drinking water for storage. The gas stove was also moved to the third floor to maintain cooking during the time the house was surrounded by water.
However, the tables, chairs and bulky belongings could not be moved, so they continued to be soaked in water.
It's not that people are not proactive, but no one thought the water could rise so high. Many houses have moved their belongings to the second floor and are reassured, but the water still floods in, in some places overwhelming," Mr. Trung shared.
Three years, four times fleeing floods
In front of a shop in hamlet 3, Ms. Hoang Thi Chan (68 years old) diligently wipes each plastic chair covered in mud. She lives alone, without husband and children, used to farm, and currently maintains a small shop selling rice, clothes and some groceries.
When the water flooded in, she had to hire someone to transport things but only managed to save a part of the rice and some essential items.
Transfer whatever is good. People who are not in danger are already lucky," she said.
On days when water surrounds the house, Mrs. Chan has to stay on the upper floor, borrowing a gas stove from her neighbor to cook porridge. Food and necessities are passed through the balcony by everyone.
According to Ms. Chan, in the past three years, people here have experienced four floods. This is also the third summer-autumn rice crop that many households in Trang Dinh and That Khe areas have lost everything.
At night when the water receded, the 68-year-old woman almost did not sleep. Wherever the water receded, she washed it to prevent the mud from drying up.
Tape water has not been supplied again, she has to scoop each basin, throw mud out and then use a towel to wipe the floor.
Talking to PV, Mr. Than Van Thu, Head of the Economic Department of That Khe commune, said that as of 9 am on August 25, natural disasters did not cause any casualties.
However, floodwaters have flooded into the houses of more than 1,250 households. All affected households are supported to relocate to safe places. Housing damage is estimated at about 28 billion VND.
In the process of responding and overcoming the consequences, the locality mobilized more than 900 people, equivalent to over 2,700 working days. About 1,200 supplies of necessities were delivered to people and rescue forces.
That Khe Commune People's Committee proposed that Lang Son province support more than 4.6 billion VND to overcome agricultural, transportation, irrigation, education and post-flood environmental sanitation projects.
