Search for shelter in the whirring wind
On the morning of August 26, Mr. Phan Xuan Lam (80 years old, Tan An block, Truong Vinh ward, Nghe An province) struggled to cut down trees and climb onto the roof to handle the incident after the storm. He choked up: No one in my family dared to sleep all night, hearing the wind how how how terrifyingly strong. Strong winds blew off the roofs, and the whole family had to find shelter at night. In the morning, the trees in the garden fell, I was worried about handling it, it was extremely difficult.
In another corner of the street, Ms. Dang Thanh Huong, 40 years old, living with her children in an apartment in Thanh Vinh ward, remembers the storm night with a still shaky voice: "All night, I could not sleep when I heard the wind whistle. Before, I had been here for decades without any problems, but now the glass doors suddenly break, water flooded into the house, the mother and daughter struggle to handle it, both tired and scared".
Hearing the news that her parents in Van An commune (Nghe An) had their house's roof blown off and their crops damaged, she burst into tears: "I love my parents, who are old and have to work hard to flee the storm all night, their intestines are burning like fire and are helpless".
At the end of July alone, Nghe An has not yet recovered from the flood caused by the circulation of storm No. 3, which took 4 lives, swept away thousands of houses, and caused damage of more than VND 3,800 billion; now, once again, storm No. 5 is a heavy blow.
In a house in Thanh Vinh ward, Nghe An province, Mr. Le Van Hong, 70 years old, said: "I didn't sleep all night. Hearing the wind whistling outside, I was extremely worried. In the morning, seeing trees falling all over, corrugated iron roofs, signs flying all over, many sections of the road are clogged, I see my heart won't be able to cling to it".
As the owner of Minh Hong Restaurant, to share and support people and authorities to participate in overcoming the consequences of Storm No. 5, Mr. Le Van Hong informed those who need to go to Minh Hong Restaurant (9B Mai Hac De, Vinh Hung Ward, Nghe An), he and his wife will invite 2 meals for breakfast and afternoon. This is a small contribution from my family, with the desire to support the forces to overcome the consequences of storm No. 5 Mr. Hong shared.
In Ha Tinh, many dykes and coastal roads were eroded, and crops were flooded. People are worried not only because their roofs are blown off and their fields and gardens are devastated, but also because their already struggling livelihoods are now even more unstable.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Ha ( Principal of Duc Thanh Primary School, Duc Thinh Commune, Ha Tinh Province) said: "I couldn't sleep all night on duty due to the storm. Tomorrow morning, the house's roof was blown off, but he just ran to the school. When I arrived, I saw that the entire school had its roof blown off, and the schoolyard was in disarray. I was shocked and worried. The new school year is approaching, how to quickly overcome the consequences of welcoming students in time to open is a difficult problem.
People who do not sleep on a stormy night
Storm No. 5 is spreading, leaders, government officials at all levels and functional forces in Nghe An and Ha Tinh also have a sleepless night and many days of rest.
Mr. Le Hong Vinh - Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee shared: "Heavy storm, strong winds, Nghe An is the center of the storm, we are really worried. The most worrying thing is the safety of the people, ensuring the safety of functional forces, handling incidents and restoring essential services as soon as possible after the storm".
Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van The - Political Commissar of Cua Lo - Ben Thuy Border Guard Station said that, in the face of the complicated developments of storm No. 5, the unit has focused on flood and storm prevention in the unit, and at the same time coordinated with local authorities and police forces to focus on helping people overcome the consequences.
"We stayed up all night to fight. Since morning, the unit has mobilized 30 officers and soldiers divided into groups to go to seriously affected locations to help the people. Seeing the people working so hard, the brothers are tired and forget their time.
That same night, police and military forces were on duty, handling incidents, blocking off at vulnerable locations, clearing traffic, and taking injured and sick people to the hospital. The image of police officers hiding in the country to rescue has spread widely, leaving deep emotions about the affection and responsibility of soldiers towards the people in the face of terrible natural disasters.
The story of storm No. 5 is not only about the destructive power of nature, but also about the determination, humanity, and the aspiration to rise of people at the head of the storm.
