Turn plastic barrels into rafts to keep valuables safe during floods

Quang Nam: Mr. Chau Van Cu's house next to Dam River is often flooded, so he combines 500-liter plastic barrels into a raft to store his belongings and use as a rescue vehicle during floods.

On the afternoon of October 16, the rain stopped, but Highway 615 was still 1.5 meters deep, and water flooded the yard of Mr. Chau Van Cu's house (46 years old) in Tam Thang Commune, Tam Ky City. The house has a mezzanine floor, enough for four people in his family to take shelter when the flood comes.

Mr. Chau Van Cu with two homemade rafts to protect his property from flooding. Photo: Dac Thanh — Mr. Chau Van Cu with two homemade rafts to store his belongings when his house was flooded. Photo: *Dac Thanh*

Mr. Cu works as a peanut oil presser, and uses a grinder and grinder at home. Therefore, every time the flood waters rise, he has to dismantle four electric motors, weighing 30-70 kg and costing from 5 to 20 million VND each, and transport them to relatives' homes.

Living in a flood-prone area, with several floods every year, Mr. Cu spends a lot of time and effort evacuating his belongings. "A few years ago, I saw people using 500-liter plastic barrels to make fish cages on the river, so I immediately thought of making a raft to store my belongings during floods," he said.

He bought 6 plastic barrels, each costing 400,000 VND, assembled the iron frames into two rafts 1.5 m long and 2.5 m wide, then tied them with sturdy ropes to prevent drifting.

"The raft has a flat surface of nearly 4 square meters and can carry a ton of belongings without sinking. When the floodwaters rise, the raft floats and does not damage property," he said, adding that in addition to the electric motor, the raft can also hold many other family assets.

Each raft can hold about a ton of water. Photo: Dac Thanh — Each raft made of plastic barrels can carry one ton and floats on the water. Photo: *Dac Thanh*

When the water rises above the roof, the raft becomes a means of survival for the family while waiting for rescue forces to arrive. After the flood season, the barrels are removed to store water or rice for daily use. "Although the raft is very simple, it is very effective, reducing property damage and protecting people's lives during the flood season," he shared.

About 5 km from Mr. Cu's house, the house of Mr. Huynh Anh Nguyen, 30 years old, An Son ward is also in a low-lying area so it is often flooded. The recent long rain caused the neighborhood to be half a meter deep, making it difficult for people to move around.

The raft was made by Mr. Nguyen from 10 plastic water barrels. Photo: Dac Thanh — The raft was made by Mr. Nguyen from 10 plastic water barrels. Photo: *Dac Thanh*

To move around, Mr. Nguyen combined 10 20-liter water tanks into a raft, with wooden planks on top for seating. "The raft can be completed in half an hour, so you don't have to wade through it these days," he said, adding that many neighbors asked to borrow the raft to buy food when the neighborhood was flooded.

Mr. Trinh Cong Quoc, Vice Chairman of Tam Thang Commune, said that the flood caused more than 500 houses along the Ban Thach and Dam rivers to be flooded, many houses were submerged up to half a meter. Making plastic barrels into rafts for transportation or storing family assets is very suitable for local practice. The commune has promoted and mobilized people to proactively make rafts according to the needs and conditions of each family.

Over the past six days, Quang Nam has had very heavy rain, generally ranging from 300-700 mm. The authorities have organized the evacuation of 160 households in four districts. The floods injured one person, caused landslides in two houses, damaged 212 hectares of rice and crops, 4,000 square meters of agricultural land was silted up, and many provincial and district roads were eroded. Heavy rain is forecast to continue in the province on October 17 and 18.

Dac Thanh

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