Wave blocking to keep An Luong embankment (Da Nang)

Photo caption — Reinforcing the embankment in An Luong commune ( Da Nang city). Photo: Khoa Chuong/VNA

While the waves were still rolling fiercely, hundreds of officers, soldiers and local people unanimously "used human strength to block the waves", urgently reinforced each section of the embankment, determined to protect the safety of residential areas, especially before the time when storm No. 13 was about to make landfall.

An Luong embankment was built in 2002, with a length of about 1.1 km to protect coastal residential areas and local traffic routes. After more than 20 years, the project has seriously degraded. After storm No. 12 and the recent historic flood in Da Nang, strong waves combined with high tides broke many sections of the embankment, several kilometers long.

According to VNA reporters, the foundation of the embankment in some places has been dug deep into residential areas, the embankment roof has sunk, the embankment bed has cracked and is at risk of collapsing at any time. Along the embankment, many locations are only a few meters away from residential areas. Big waves are crashing in, seawater is eating deep into the foundations of people's houses.

Ms. Tran Thi Hanh (owner of a shop near An Luong embankment) said worriedly: “The sea has eroded too deeply, my shop is now only a few meters from the water's edge. Customers dare not come, the damage is very serious. If the erosion continues, the risk of the shop collapsing can happen at any time.”

Mr. Nguyen Van Tai (a resident of An Luong village, Duy Nghia commune) shared: "In the past few days, strong winds and big waves have been hitting the embankment day and night. With another flood, I'm afraid the embankment won't be able to withstand the destructive power of nature. Everyone in the neighborhood is worried and doesn't dare to sleep for fear that the water will come crashing in at any moment."

The cracks and landslides along the An Luong embankment are not only signs of deterioration of a civil protection project, but also sound the alarm bell about the increasingly severe impacts of climate change, coastal erosion and extreme floods. With more than 200 households living close to the water's edge, each storm brings additional anxiety. People hope that the government will soon have a solution to firmly protect the embankment, avoid the risk of widespread landslides, and ensure the safety of the lives and property of coastal communities.

Faced with the complex developments of natural disasters, the Da Nang City Military Command has established a forward command post in Duy Nghia commune, headed by the Deputy Chief of Staff. The military forces, along with the government and people, take shifts to be on duty, regularly update water level developments, and proactively evacuate people in case of emergency. At the same time, urgently mobilize forces, vehicles and supplies for rescue, determined not to let the embankment break, ensuring safety for the people.

Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hung, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Da Nang City Military Command, said: "We have urgently mobilized officers and soldiers of the Command and proposed that the Military Region 5 Command send forces from the 375th Division to stand guard at this location. However, the weather situation is currently very complicated, the embankment initially only collapsed a few hundred meters, now it has collapsed about 1,500 meters."

Immediately after the direction, hundreds of officers and soldiers of Division 315 (Military Region 5), the City Military Command, along with the police, militia and local people, simultaneously deployed to reinforce the embankment. Sandbags were passed around, stacked into temporary walls, carrying the will and aspiration of the entire population with the desire to reduce the pressure of the huge waves.

Tran Thanh Nguyen (15 years old, Duy Nghia commune) shared that taking advantage of the time the school was closed due to the impact of the flood, he and his peers went to the landslide site to scoop up sandbags and transport them to the local army and people to reinforce the embankment.

Mr. Pham Van Biet (Duy Nghia commune, Da Nang city) said: “Every day, there are 20-30 trucks of people carrying sand to the landslide area for the authorities to reinforce the embankment. All efforts and costs are free. I just hope that my fellow countrymen can live in safety and escape the landslide.”

Amidst the chaotic shore, the image of soldiers and local people standing shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand passing sandbags in the cold rain is a clear demonstration of the spirit of “military and people of one heart”. Together, they are “using human strength to block the waves”, protecting the embankment and the peaceful life of hundreds of coastal households.

Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hung added: "We continue to increase means, human resources, and materials to focus on renovating the embankment with the determination not to let the landslides go deeper inside. At key locations, we have used baskets to put sandbags inside, and integrated the embankment underneath; at the same time, spread large tarpaulins to limit the waves from hitting key locations. We are determined to maintain the embankment, ensuring absolute safety for the people."

Amidst the raging waves, the images of soldiers, police, militia, youths and people passing sandbags to build a dike have become a vivid demonstration of the solidarity between the army and the people. This unanimity is contributing to strengthening the dike, protecting the peaceful life of hundreds of households in the coastal area of An Luong.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/chan-song-giu-ke-an-luong-da-nang-20251105112159172.htm