" Alley becomes river"
In the area around Thang Long Bridge, Dong Ngac Ward (Hanoi), from early morning, the authorities had to erect barriers to prevent people from entering the deeply flooded area. The road was flooded, many motorbikes stalled in the middle of the road, people were forced to walk, the water was above their knees.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong, living on Ke Gian Street, Xuan Dinh Ward, said: "It rained all night, when I opened the door in the morning, I saw that the water had flooded the yard. My son had to carry the children to higher ground with a bucket of water. In the past few years, this area has been flooded due to heavy rain, but this time the flooding is too deep and fast".
Not far away, Ecohome 1 and Ecohome 3 areas (Dong Ngac ward) are also in a similar situation. Mr. Vu Dinh Ha, a resident of Ecohome 1, shared: "Last night the storm had just dissipated, before we could clean up, it was flooded this morning. The area has been without power for many days due to storm No. 10. Now, rising water has damaged some equipment. Our people joked that 'it was about to become an oasis in the middle of the capital'.
Not only in the northern area of the city, many central streets such as Cau Giay, Yen Hoa, Lieu Giai, Doi Can, Ngoc Khanh, Phung Hung, Bat Dan, Nguyen Huu Huan... were heavily flooded. Many people reported that water had flooded into their homes, making it difficult for vehicles to move, and causing local traffic congestion.
At lane 68 Cau Giay, the water was 3040 cm deep. People had to roll up their pants onto the main road, children were carried on their shoulders, and motorbikes had to walk. Ms. Pham Thu Ha, living in lane 68, said: "I was forced to move my belongings up high, it took me nearly a morning to get ready. but many of my belongings must have been broken after heavy rain.
Unusual heavy rain, drainage system overloaded
According to the Hanoi People's Committee, from the early morning of October 7, the city has experienced moderate rain, heavy rain and thunderstorms, with some places experiencing very heavy rain. The amount of rain measured at Soc Son station reached 116mm, Thuong Cat 91mm, Hoang Mai and Cau Giay all over 70mm. It is forecasted that in the next 36 hours, Hanoi will continue to have moderate to heavy rain, locally over 100mm.
According to initial statistics, nearly 100 locations in Hanoi are at risk of flooding. In particular, central streets such as Tran Vu, Cao Ba Quat, Nguyen Khuyen, Quang Trung, Tho Nhuom, Lo Duc, Ba Trieu, Nguyen Cong Tru, Le Duan, Truong Chinh, Chua Boc, Cau Giay, Xuan Thuy, Duy Tan, Pham Van Dong, Vo Chi Cong, Nguyen Xien, Linh Nam... all experienced flooding from 2050 cm.
The underpasses through Thang Long Avenue, Le Van Luong, Nguyen Tuan, Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Xien and Linh Dam were partially flooded, making it impossible for many vehicles to circulate. In particular, the area under Chui, Ngoc Lam, and Co Linh bridges (Long Bien) was flooded more than half a meter deep, paralyzing traffic.
In the face of prolonged heavy rain, the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Hanoi City has directed the units operating Yen So, Dong Bong, and Co Nhue pumping stations to operate at full capacity, while warning people to limit going out, especially in areas at risk of deep flooding, intersections and major intersections.
Many people expressed that this heavy rain once again shows that Hanoi's drainage system is very slow, and needs to be handled soon in the coming time.
