Brothers in Hanoi and Da Nang repair cars for free to help Yen Bai people after the flood

The cars that people brought in to repair after the flood were all covered in mud - Photo: NVCC

Amidst hundreds of motorbikes at a free repair shop on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Yen Bai City, are a few mechanics with the clacking sound of wrenches and spanners... These motorbikes are covered in mud and are badly damaged due to being submerged in water for a long time during the recent historic flood in Yen Bai City.

The car was washed before repair - Photo: NVCC

Decision in a flash

After the historic flood, Mr. Manh Hung - manager of the 247 motorcycle repair shop chain - watched on social media and saw that people's motorbikes in Yen Bai City were covered in mud and that local motorcycle repair shops were overloaded. At that moment, Mr. Hung had the idea of ​​bringing his tools to Yen Bai City to help people.

"I see that many relief groups have provided food and water to the people, but there are very few places to repair broken vehicles. Motorbikes are not only a means of transportation but also an asset that people have saved up for many years. It is heartbreaking to see motorbikes that are severely damaged by flooding. The need for vehicle repair is huge, but there are few people participating, because only those in the profession can help people," Mr. Hung confided.

Recalling his first trip to help people repair their vehicles, Mr. Hung said it was around September 14th. Even though the water had receded for 1-2 days, the roads were still very difficult to travel on.

Even main streets like Nguyen Thai Hoc are flooded with mud, low-chassis vehicles cannot move.

In the first batch, Mr. Hung's team helped people repair about 300 cars - Photo: NVCC

On the first day, Mr. Hung's repair team received about 300 motorbikes brought by local people.

According to Mr. Hung, repairing a car submerged in floodwater for a long time is more complicated than repairing a car submerged in normal water. When submerged for a long time, the mud will stick to it and cause more serious damage. The repair team tries to handle the important details so that people can travel again, while the small details will be handled later by local shops.

After the first batch, on September 18, Mr. Hung and 9 other mechanics in Hanoi and Da Nang continued to Yen Bai city to repair cars for free at two locations: 312 Ly Thuong Kiet and 308 Nguyen Thai Hoc.

In the morning, 160 cars were brought to the free repair point by people.

"The brothers in Da Nang all took the night bus to Hanoi and immediately traveled another 2.5 hours to Yen Bai City, but everyone was enthusiastic because they wanted to support the people," Mr. Hung shared.

Vehicles damaged by being submerged in floodwater for a long time will have their oil and spark plugs changed for free - Photo: NVCC

Note when the car is flooded for a long time

According to Mr. Hung, vehicle damage due to prolonged immersion in floodwater is inevitable, however, people should take note to bring their vehicles for repair immediately after the water recedes to ensure a higher chance of recovery.

First of all, you should take your car to a repair shop for early repair. If left for too long, the internal parts will rust and be difficult to repair.

For flooded vehicles, do not try to restart them immediately, because water is still in the engine, doing so will cause water hammer and destroy the engine.

In the second round of vehicle repairs, Mr. Hung and his team will support the people on September 18 and 19. It is expected that in both rounds, Mr. Hung's team will repair about 550 vehicles for the people in Yen Bai City.

"The people are in dire need of a car, so when I arrived, they were very appreciative and respectful. My brothers and I only did what we could to support them," Mr. Hung said.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/anh-em-ha-noi-da-nang-sua-xe-mien-phi-giup-ba-con-yen-bai-sau-lu-20240918142236777.htm