After 1 year of the historic flash flood in Muong Pon commune, Dien Bien province, heavy rain in recent days is a reminder that danger is always lurking.
Present at the Ban Linh resettlement area, Muong Pon commune, Ms. Mao Thi Chung (59 years old) said that the new house was built at the end of May 2025, and was basically completed.
Previously, her old house was swept away by floodwaters during last year's flood. It seemed that life could have stabilized somewhat, but the fear was still there.
"The heavy rains in recent days have made the danger always lurking. Every time it rains heavily, I don't dare stay at home because of the risk of landslides from the positive slope, having to go to my daughter's house to temporarily stay, it is very difficult" - Ms. Chung, a near-poor household with thyroid cancer said.
Also due to the impact of the heavy rain lasting for the night of July 25 and early morning of July 26, the water in the stream in Muong Pon commune changed the flow, causing local flooding, affecting the lives and property of some households in Co Run 1 and Co Run 2 villages.
Mr. Vi Van Hoa (25 years old, Co Chan 1 village, Muong Pon commune) - said: "The floodwaters rose so quickly that my family could not react. The entire flock of about 50 chickens and ducks and 2 pigs died. The fish pond was also completely lost".
Mr. Hoa added that even in the historic flash flood at the end of July 2024, his house was only slightly flooded.
Not far away, in Co Chan 2 village, Mr. Lo Van Tien's family also suffered the same fate, the estimated damage to the fish pond alone was about 7 million VND, not to mention other auxiliary works.
The rain in the past few days and nights has been like a whirlwind deep into the unhealthy wounds of Muong Pon people.
Exactly one year ago, on the night of July 24 and 25, 2024, a terrible flash flood devastated Muong Pon commune, killing and leaving 7 people missing, 90 houses were severely damaged, of which 20 were completely swept away. Nearly 123 hectares of agricultural land and more than 15 hectares of aquaculture were buried, along with a series of infrastructure works were destroyed, with total estimated damage of up to 175 billion VND.
According to the leader of Muong Pon commune, after 1 year of the historic flash flood, with the cooperation of all levels and sectors, 6 resettlement areas have been built for 86 households that lost their homes.
More than 102 hectares of agricultural land have been renovated for people to cultivate again. Regarding livestock, people are supported with herding, prioritizing short-term livestock to soon stabilize their lives.
However, those revival efforts also face a big challenge as this year's flood season is complicated. The recent rains show that, despite the repair of works, there are still potential risks, even new vulnerable points appear in small streams and steep slopes.
The leader of Muong Pon commune said that the local government has developed a natural disaster prevention plan according to the "4 on-site" motto. The Commune Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Control and Search and Rescue has been strengthened and assigned officers on duty.
Propaganda and warning work has been promoted, especially strictly prohibiting people from collecting firewood and fishing in dangerous areas during floods.
