Watch the clip of Ms. Thanh recounting the days of experiencing the historic flood :
On the evening of November 22, about 20 people were still unable to return home and continued to take temporary shelter at Vinh Trung Kindergarten (West Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa Province) without electricity.
Sitting absent-mindedly in the candlelight, Ms. Nguyen Thi La Thanh (59 years old, Tay Nha Trang ward, located along Cai River) recounted the memory of the "never-to-forget" night.
At around 6pm on November 17, the floodwaters had risen to her chest. Ms Thanh tried to call for help but was unsuccessful. A co-worker called to report her address to the rescue team, but at that time the water was swirling, and the team could not reach her. A short while later, the power went out completely.
The three of them stood on two chairs placed on the bed, and Ms. Thanh’s 89-year-old mother sat in the tub and together they lifted her out of the water. Ms. Thanh only dared to stand on one leg to keep her balance, while the other leg was bent up to support the tub all night. “We didn’t dare let go. We were afraid that if she slipped, she would sink,” she said.
Six people soaked in the freezing water from afternoon until early the next morning. “Thinking back, I feel like I had extraordinary strength. It was so cold, so cold, but looking at my mother, I felt sorry for her,” she recalled.
In the pitch darkness, the only sound the family could hear was the pouring rain and rushing water. At this point, the water level was already over two meters high from the floor and was still rising, making everyone think of the worst. “If we live, we live together, if we die, we die together,” they encouraged each other in the dark and freezing water.
In the midst of the crisis, Mrs. Thanh's sister-in-law decided to find a way out. She continuously broke the tiles, crawled up to the roof, then went back down to pull two more people. When she reached the roof above, she continued to break the corrugated iron, pulling each sheet to create an opening. Below, Mrs. Thanh seemed to have more motivation, holding her mother with one hand, and breaking the ceiling with the other. When the ceiling opened up, everyone immediately pushed the old woman forward and escaped one by one.
When the family reached the roof, everyone was so happy they were speechless. “We barely escaped death, we were so happy,” said Mrs. Thanh. After that, the six of them huddled in the cold wind, their clothes soaked, waiting for dawn on the precarious roof.
At dawn, Mrs. Thanh shouted loudly: "Is anyone there?". Luckily, the family downstairs who were taking shelter upstairs heard them, rowed a boat over to supply instant noodles and water, then set up a ladder and stretched out a tarpaulin to protect the 6 people from the wind.
The family huddled on the roof for a day and a night before being taken down. The rain poured down incessantly, covering everything in a blanket of white. They cuddled together to avoid the cold, fearing that the old lady would catch a cold and get sick.
The 89-year-old woman’s lips turned purple and she kept asking to get down because she couldn’t stand the shaking anymore. “I encouraged her and myself at the same time,” said Ms. Thanh.
Fearing that the water might rise again, the whole family was moved to an evacuation site. “It’s a haunting memory. Thinking back on it still makes me shiver. I was really scared, at times thinking they would only find 6 bodies the next day,” Ms. Thanh shared, her eyes still red from many sleepless nights.
Even now, whenever she thinks about it, Ms. Thanh still shudders. She thought to herself that after cleaning up the house, she would write a diary to record the terrifying memories that had just happened to her family and the people of Khanh Hoa.
In the room, the people listening to Mrs. Thanh’s story also reminisced. They had never experienced such a big flood. A woman occasionally continued the story, telling of the days when her family was submerged. At that time, everyone could only save themselves first, struggling against the fierce natural disaster.
Brought to a safe shelter, Ms. Hoa - Ms. Thanh's sister-in-law still had many sleepless nights. Having trouble sleeping, she took her dog out to the hallway for a walk to relieve her anxiety.
In the next room, under the light of an oil lamp, Mrs. Ly Ha Anh Thu (49 years old, from Bac Nha Trang ward) was changing her grandmother’s bandages. She said that the biggest flood in the area before was only knee-deep, but this time the water rose quickly, reaching over 2 meters.
"On the day of the flood, there were more than ten people in my house. The children waded through the water to a nearby hotel in the afternoon. My husband and I had to stay and look after my grandmother because she could not move by herself. They told us to go to the bridge, but it was raining and cold, my grandmother could not stand it," said Mrs. Thu.
The family huddled together on the wooden door for two days and two nights, living on dried instant noodles that were luckily brought up in time. By then, the water had risen to the tin roof, so they had to use sticks to puncture the roof to create a vent.
When the rescue team arrived, they prioritized bringing the old woman out first.
Mrs. Thu said: “All the money is gone, there is nothing left.” But she has no regrets: “As long as there are people, there is property. Lost money can be made again, but lost people are meaningless.”
When asked if she was afraid of death, she simply replied: “Who wouldn’t be afraid? But at that moment, the fear disappeared, and all I could think about was how to survive. I just prayed to God that the water wouldn’t rise any further. I was worried about my grandmother, not knowing how to carry her if she had to climb back up to the roof.”
In the hallway, after dinner had just been served, 8 members of Mrs. Thach Thi Thao's family (57 years old, Tay Nha Trang ward) sat chatting with each other under the flickering light of candles.
Eight members of Mrs. Thao’s family were isolated for two days and two nights in the midst of the flood. When the water receded, they decided to leave the flooded area to find a safe place. On November 20, after being taken out of the deep water area by the authorities, the family rented a temporary room because they did not know where to go. After staying for one night, they heard that a school in the area was open to welcome people, so they moved to Vinh Trung Kindergarten to save money. “The house was devastated, the damage was severe, so every penny saved was a good thing,” Mrs. Thao said.
Ms. Ho Thi Kim Trang, Mrs. Thao’s daughter, recalled the hours of isolation: “There was only water all around. At first, the whole family was very panicked because the water rose so quickly and there was no way to escape.”
The family tried to stay calm because there was a 12-month-old baby, everyone had to stay alert to find a way to survive. “The whole family clung to the roof for two days and two nights, eating raw instant noodles to hold on. We waited for rescue but it was hopeless because the water was more than 3m deep and flowing fast, they could not reach us,” said Ms. Trang.
“We screamed for help until our voices were hoarse, but in such an isolated area, no one could get in. Luckily, after two days the water started to recede; if it had continued any longer, especially with the children, my family wouldn’t know how long we could last,” she added.
The bewildered image of Mrs. Thach Thi Thao on the afternoon of November 22 while waiting to be led to the school area for temporary shelter.
During the flood days, Vinh Trung Kindergarten (West Nha Trang Ward) became a shelter for more than 100 people in flooded areas. Mr. Vo Phan Thien, the school security guard, said that when the water level rose, he was on duty at the school and helped the elderly and children to safety.
Principal Vo Thi Anh Tuyet said: “The school is always open, ready to welcome people to avoid the flood. The water has now receded and everyone will leave the school tomorrow. The school will clean up to prepare to reopen and welcome children to school.”
Nguyen Hue - Phuoc Sang
Vietnamnet.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/hoi-uc-thoat-chet-trong-gang-tac-cua-gia-dinh-6-nguoi-o-khanh-hoa-2465477.html
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