On November 22, floodwaters in some areas of Hoa Thinh commune ( Dak Lak province) began to recede, but many households were still unable to return to their homes.
In the old classrooms of Hoa Thinh Primary School, tables were placed close to makeshift beds. The hastily distributed relief meal was enough to bring some warmth to those who had just spent many days in isolation.
In the corner of the room, Mr. Nguyen Tri (born in 1964) and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa (1967, Phu Huu village) quietly scooped up spoonfuls of rice, trembling as they brought them to their mouths. These were the first grains of rice after many days of surviving on raw instant noodles and rainwater.
Mrs. Hoa sadly said that in her 40 years of living here, she had never witnessed such a fierce flood. On the evening of November 18, it rained heavily. Then water from upstream poured down, rising slowly. On the morning of the 19th, the water level rose rapidly and just a few hours later, around 9am, the water rushed into the house at a terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, the water was up to her head.
Mrs. Hoa’s house was submerged in an instant. The couple only had time to climb onto an old boat and go to a neighbor’s house on a higher floor to take shelter.
The boat ran about 10 meters, water flooded in, the strong current swept both of them down.
In the midst of the panic, Mrs. Hoa was lucky to grab a wire that was hanging across. Mr. Tri was submerged in the muddy flood. She groped for her husband in the swirling water. Then, from the vast expanse of water, Mr. Tri’s flailing hand emerged. He had drunk too much water and was mumbling and unable to speak.
Mrs. Hoa pulled her husband to the surface of the water and tried to get close to the water tank so he could climb out. He also tried to help her climb out but she didn't dare, afraid that the tank would fall and both of them would be in danger.
Mrs. Hoa struggled to get to the jackfruit tree, holding it tightly against the water.
During many hours of being submerged in flood water, exhausted, and at moments when they thought they could not hold on any longer, the couple considered giving up.
Luckily, they were discovered by relatives who used a boat to cross the flood and brought them both to safety, taking them to Hoa Thinh Primary School for shelter.
The classroom now became a shelter for more than a dozen people, each family had a small corner with a few meager belongings saved from the flood. People shared each packet of instant noodles to fight hunger.
In the following days, the flood continued to rise, there was no electricity, no food, the old couple could only collect rainwater and share a few packages of raw noodles to survive. Mr. Tri was already sick, and after being soaked in the cold water, he had a fever and coughed continuously.
“After this flood, saving your life is the most precious thing,” said Ms. Hoa.
On the morning of November 22, when the water began to recede, the couple returned home. The small house was completely destroyed, leaving only a layer of mud up to their knees. All their belongings were swept away. They stood still for a while and then had to return to school because they could not clean up yet.
Before leaving home, Mrs. Hoa found the surviving chicken and gently put it in a plastic bag to take with her. So the three “members” returned to the school which had temporarily become the only safe place.
Ms. Vo Thi Linh San, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hoa Thinh commune, said the flood had caused great damage to the locality, with people losing almost all their property.
Faced with the huge damage caused by floods, the Party Committee and People's Committee of Hoa Thinh commune, along with other organizations, have called on organizations and individuals to support, first of all, with necessities, to help people avoid hunger and cold.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/co-luc-chung-toi-dinh-buong-tay-theo-dong-lu-post824931.html
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