As reported by Lao Dong Newspaper, heavy rain and flash floods on the night of May 17 and early morning of May 18 in Ba Be District (Bac Kan) killed 3 people, injured 4 people, and swept away many properties and crops.
In Yen Duong commune (Ba Be), mud is still covering the yards and gardens. Many people stayed up all night to clean up together. Their minds are still shocked after the unexpected incident.
In Phieng Kham village, many families had to temporarily move to relatives' houses because they could not stay. Some fish ponds were covered with mud, and pumpkin fields were submerged in muddy water.
Not far away, in Tan Lu village (Dong Phuc commune), large blocks of rock and soil from above are still blocking the road, making travel difficult.
Pointing to the top of the hill behind the center of Na Booc village (Dong Phuc commune), Ms. Ma Thi No - a local resident - said that after the heavy rain, the hill area behind showed signs of landslides.
"Many households at the foot of the hill are very concerned, because there are many people living here for a long time. If the rain continues, the risk of rocks and soil overflowing into residential areas is entirely possible," Ms. No added.
The heavy rain in Bac Kan province in recent days has caused many mountainous areas of Bac Kan to fall into a state of emergency.
Yen Duong commune recorded rainfall exceeding 214mm, the highest in the province. Two flash floods here have killed 4 people and injured 3 others.
Traffic was paralyzed, many roads were seriously eroded, the spillway was damaged, and electric poles were broken. Within just two days, 23 houses had cracked walls, subsided floors or landslides, many households could not count the damage.
More than 47 hectares of rice and corn were flooded and washed away, about 500 hectares of fragrant pumpkin were lost. More than 100 cows, ducks and 3 tons of sturgeon could not be rescued in time.
Bac Kan province has mobilized more than 400 people including police, military and militia forces to participate in the rescue and support affected households.
Talking to reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Pham Ngoc Thinh - Vice Chairman of Ba Be District People's Committee - said that this was the largest historical flood ever in the area, causing a lot of damage.
"The most severely affected areas are in Yen Duong and Dong Phuc communes. This flash flood is still large, causing more damage than last year's storm No. 3. The locality is mobilizing all forces to deploy support to the families of the victims who suffered losses," the leader added.
Faced with the heavy damage caused by the historic flood, the People's Committee of Bac Kan province quickly directed the implementation of urgent measures to minimize the consequences and ensure the safety of the people.
The province also identified many communes in Cho Don, Ngan Son, Ba Be, Pac Nam, Bach Thong, and Na Ri districts as at high risk of flash floods and landslides in the coming time. Therefore, districts and departments need to urgently overcome the consequences and stabilize housing for people. At the same time, review high-risk areas to proactively evacuate when necessary.
In addition, localities are also directed to reinforce dams, protect aquaculture ponds and harvest crops early to avoid further damage.
Investors in mineral construction and exploitation works are required to proactively prevent floods.
The work of checking the safety of dams, hydropower plants, rescue vehicles, and machinery is also being prepared for timely response.
