On the morning of December 5, the area at km1700 of National Highway 1 through Ham Thang Ward (Lam Dong Province) was still deeply flooded, causing traffic congestion. According to statistics, there are currently 4 flooded spots on National Highway 1 through Lam Dong.
From the afternoon of December 4, floodwater from upstream has poured in due to increased water flow through the overflow of Song Quao Lake. On December 4, it was not raining.
By the evening of the same day, floodwaters came to Ham Thang ward, causing many houses to be deeply flooded. National Highway 1 through this area is also flooded, making it impossible for motorbikes to travel.
The area on both sides of the Cai River basin and Phu Hai River was flooded. Many rescue teams have transported water motorbikes to Ham Thang ward to support the evacuation of people to safety.
The Binh Thuan Search and Rescue Team led by Mr. Nguyen Van Ha brought 2 water motorbikes to Kim Binh and Kim Ngoc neighborhoods to support. However, the floodwaters had strong currents, making it difficult for water motorbikes to move, causing them to deviate from the running track.
Many elderly people and children were taken to National Highway 1. However, National Highway 1 was also flooded more than half a meter.
Mr. Nguyen Van Ha said that with the characteristics of the strong water, the rescue was very difficult, so the two motorbikes had to go together and were not separated because if one motorbike had an accident and overturned, the other one would support.
In the old Phu Long town area (Ham Thang ward), many people living along the Cai River climbed to the roofs to stand in supplication. Mr. Truong Minh Khoa's rescue team promptly squeezed into each alley to rescue people.
The water flows rapidly and it is dark, with limited visibility, so water motorbikes need to pay attention when moving because it is easy to get caught in electric wires and overturned.
"The water is very strong. Some places are flooded like Phu My quarter. The phone rings for help continuously, however, the brothers have decided to prioritize supporting the heavily flooded areas first, in order to promptly rescue people and then go to rescue other areas" - Mr. Khoa shared.
Ms. Bich Loan in Phu My neighborhood said that water had flooded into the yard since late afternoon, and by 10pm it was nearly 1m in the living room.
Learning from the flooding in early November, from the afternoon of December 4, when she heard the news of flood discharge, she proactively moved her belongings such as refrigerators and electronic devices to higher ground. The floodwaters came quickly, so her family ran through the neighbor's 2-storey house to avoid the flood.
The area along the Phu Hai River in Phu Thuy Ward was also heavily flooded.
At 10:30 p.m. on December 4, speaking with reporters, a representative of the Song Quao River referral and canal management station said that the discharge flow had been adjusted down to 82 m3/s at 9:30 p.m., and at 10:30 p.m. to 45 m3/s.
Explaining the amount of flooding in the downstream of Ham Thang ward, this representative said that it is the "last water", the "backwater" of the discharge, after about 2-3 hours the water will recede.
Local authorities have mobilized high-chassis dump trucks to flooded areas to evacuate people, prioritizing the elderly and children.
