In Yang Mao commune, Dak Lak province, two days have passed and the flood has not stopped. The road I take to the residential area is still dangerous because of the pouring rain, many residential areas are isolated.
The rocks and soil torn from the mountain slopes lay scattered like wounds that had yet to heal. Many sections of the road were so deep that your feet would sink into them, and below was a muddy stream whose water still roared and swept away everything.
The phone signal was intermittent. I called Nguyen Huu Thang, Commander of the Yang Mao Commune Military Command, to ask for support to take us to the scene. After a few long beeps and then cut off, his voice finally rang out, broken by weak signals: “You… try… to stay still… I’ll send my brothers on duty to pick you up at Cau Sap Village 2. The road… has collapsed a lot… it’s dangerous to go alone!…”.
The road to Ea Han village was eroded and cut off.
Just a few minutes later, two militiamen appeared at the meeting point. They were soaked, holding ropes and small flashlights. They said they had barely slept in the past two days, but when Thang told them that a press team needed to go to the scene, due to the widespread rain and flood , the force had to be spread out to guard each dangerous spot. So the two of them used one motorbike, and the guide carried another person. Then we all set off immediately. For them, supporting anyone, whether civilians or working groups, was a duty.
15km journey to overcome landslides
The Truong Son Dong road in Yang Mao commune is already difficult to travel on normal days, and even more so during the flood . The muddy sections were up to a meter deep, slippery and seemed to swallow our motorbikes. We supported each other, some carrying the motorbikes, others carrying them, to quickly reach the point where the armed forces were using ropes to evacuate people from the danger zone due to rising floodwaters and the risk of landslides.
In the dim afternoon light, heavy rain, amidst the vast, dark mountains and forests, the color of the soldiers' shirts was no longer distinguishable from the color of the soil or the color of the fabric. All were the same yellow-brown color of the flood water.
On the journey, there were many dangers. There were still more than 600 meters to reach the point where the armed forces were evacuating people from the danger zone because the old temporary bridge had collapsed. Next to the solid bridge under construction, the militia and the people were preparing an opening for people from the outside to come in and supply the people inside.
After more than an hour of crossing the road, we finally reached the point where the local armed forces were taking turns to transport people from the dangerous area to a safe place. Many officers and soldiers were soaked and shivering, being warmed by the fire of the people, taking turns to go down to the floodwaters to take people out of the dangerous area. And there, the touching story of the efforts of the commune armed forces began to appear most clearly.
“Forget the pain” to… save the people
Among the many stories, the name Giang Seo Si, the village captain of Ea Han village, was mentioned the most. He was the one who ran into the dangerous area at 11pm to mobilize people to evacuate.
While helping an old man out of the house, a rock suddenly fell from the hill and hit him hard on the leg. It hurt and bled, but he still tried to stand up.
“At 11pm on November 17, heavy rain poured down from the mountains. Seeing the danger, the village management board and I mobilized people to evacuate from the dangerous area,” said Giang Seo Si, whose leg was still bandaged. He tried to endure the pain to move with the people to a safe place.
Water beams to help people escape the flood
Lieutenant Colonel Le Dang Toan, Chief of Yang Mao Commune Police, said that heavy rain was forecast to begin at 11 p.m. on November 17 and the water level rose by the minute. After only 30 minutes, many households in Ea Han village were flooded .
“Upon receiving the order, the commune police mobilized the police force and the Commune Military Command to mobilize people to evacuate from the dangerous area. The water from upstream poured in too quickly, the only road leading to safety was flooded deeply and flowing rapidly, the force only had time to bring life buoys, a few ropes and some inflatable tires. They used all their strength to form rafts to move people out of the dangerous area,” said Lieutenant Colonel Le Dang Toan.
On those "homemade rafts", they took each person out of the rushing water, in the pitch darkness and the pouring rain.
A young soldier recalled: “Every time the raft touched a rock, I was startled. But when I saw people on the other side calling for help, I just rushed forward, not afraid of any danger.”
With the support of the provincial police force, the Military Command of the defense area of area 4 M'Drắk and thanks to the bravery of officers and soldiers on the spot, more than 170 households with about 800 people were brought to safety at 9:00 p.m. on November 18.
When the road is completely cut off
Since the morning of November 17, Yang Mao commune has been in a state of “no one in, no one out”. Roads have been buried by rocks and soil, and rescue vehicles cannot enter. Local forces have had to take care of everything themselves.
They used ropes to cross streams, using their own bodies as support for people to hold on to, helping each person through the rapids.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Thang, Commander of the Yang Mao Commune Military Command, said in the sound of blowing wind and heavy rain: “If there is no road, we will build a road. If there is no vehicle, we will use human power. As long as the people are still stuck, we and our comrades will have to find a way.”
It took more than 2 hours of continuous efforts to clear the route, excavators and the provincial rescue force to overcome the major landslides to assist Yang Mao. It was not until 5 p.m. on November 18 that the provincial force reached the scene. When the provincial working group arrived, the commune force had completed most of the evacuation and emergency property protection. A militia comrade with red eyes from lack of sleep just smiled: "We are used to it, brother. Saving people is great."
Footprints still imprinted in the mud after the flood
When I left Yang Mao, the road I had walked on was still rocky and muddy. But something deeper still remained: the footprints of militiamen who had to wade through the floodwaters to keep their people safe.
In the midst of a devastating natural disaster, they - soldiers in a small remote commune - created miracles with their courage and sense of responsibility.
No words of praise are more complete than the image of militia soldiers braving the rain, holding life buoys, wading through mud up to their chests, clinging to tree roots to cross streams... to bring people back from the brink of life and death.
By the afternoon of November 19, heavy rain was still falling in Yang Mao commune, rivers and streams were rising and flowing rapidly. Many roads were still cut off and many houses were still flooded. However, amidst natural disasters, rain and floods, one thing was clear: the commune armed forces were not only the ones keeping the peace, but they were also the biggest support for the people when danger struck. And amidst this fierce flood, the military-civilian relationship was even warmer.
Source: https://baolamdong.vn/am-tinh-quan-dan-o-ron-lu-yang-mao-403856.html
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