Canoes and jet skis rescue isolated people
In the wards of Quy Nhon Bac, Quy Nhon Nam, Quy Nhon Dong, Quy Nhon Tay... floodwaters rose suddenly in just a few hours, leaving hundreds of households unable to move their belongings or find shelter. In the dark, many families had to use clothes, wooden sticks, pots and pans to knock continuously to call for help from the authorities and people around.
The rain has not stopped, the flood from upstream continues to pour in, making the situation more complicated. Roads are cut off, the strong currents pose a danger to both the victims and the rescue team.
Canoes of volunteer groups in Quy Nhon Dong ward rescue people. Photo: DVCC
However, many volunteer teams such as SOS 115, SOS 77, Tu Nha Be group, Hoang Loi, Hoa Ky Co... still try to mobilize canoes and jet skis to reach isolated locations.
Among them, the arduous journey of Mr. Vo Ngoc Trien (Quy Nhon Dong ward) moved many people. As soon as he heard the news of people being trapped, he immediately set off to Vung Ro and Chi Thanh ( Dak Lak ) to bring two canoes to Quy Nhon to serve the rescue.
“At midnight, I drove my truck and encountered a landslide on the pass. The truck hit a rock and was badly damaged. I had to wait until 5am before the garage opened the door to check it. I called a taxi for more than an hour but there was none because the trucks were temporarily stopped due to flooding. Luckily, I asked to get a ride with another truck, but when I got to Chi Thanh, there was a long traffic jam. I took the initiative to pull the canoe yesterday afternoon but encountered many difficulties; fortunately, I was able to bring the canoe back this afternoon,” Trien shared.
After arriving in the Quy Nhon area, Mr. Trien's canoes actively participated in rescue work, especially transporting food to people in isolated areas or temporarily staying in evacuation areas.
Not only Mr. Trien, many other volunteers also raced against time to reach the people. Mr. Nguyen Van Sang (Tu Nha Be group, Quy Nhon Dong ward) said: "The number of people calling for help was too much. The water was flowing fast and the wind was strong, so every trip to bring people out of the danger zone was very stressful and dangerous."
The Provincial Tourism Association has supported 50 million VND for groups with canoes to refuel for rescue operations. The association asked people to buy gasoline in cans and bring it to the gathering point for canoes and jet skis.
In that context, local forces including police, army, and militia have increased coordination with volunteer teams, sharing 24/7 duty. Rescue work was deployed urgently while still ensuring safety for both rescue forces and people.
Thousands of free meals, houses open as temporary shelters
Amidst the mounting difficulties, the spirit of solidarity among the people was further promoted. Hundreds of spontaneous relief gifts were sent to rescue forces and people temporarily staying at agencies and schools.
Binh Ha restaurant staff cooked 200 meals to support flood victims in Quy Nhon ward. Photo: DVCC
Many restaurant owners volunteered to prepare banh xeo, hot rice, bread, etc. to help people overcome the flood. Moc Mien Banh Xeo Restaurant (Quy Nhon Ward) announced that it would support the relief teams, rescue forces and people throughout the flood period by rolling banh xeo, with no limit on quantity.
Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Duyen (Quy Nhon Nam ward) said: "This morning I prepared 50 loaves of bread and dozens of cartons of water, but the road was flooded so much that I couldn't transport them myself. I had to ask for help from volunteers to get them inside in time."
Small but timely gifts help support those on duty in difficult conditions.
From November 19 to 20, Com Nha 1989 announced to support 1,000 meals/day for people in flood-hit areas and rescue forces. At Ngoc Son Monastery (Tuy Phuoc Dong Commune), volunteers cook rice overnight to send to people in time. Other volunteer groups are working hard to collect sweet bread, banh chung, banh hoi, drinks... gathered at Hai Au Hotel (489 An Duong Vuong) and point 28 Nguyen Hue (Quy Nhon Ward) for groups to bring and distribute.
In addition, the spirit of “helping each other” has also spread to residential areas. Ms. Nguyen Nghia (Quy Nhon Tay ward) opened her house at 427 Lac Long Quan as a temporary shelter. She shared: “Seeing people fleeing the flood, the water rising to the roof, I felt so sorry. On the evening of November 18, I decided to open the door for everyone to take shelter. I posted the information online so that anyone in difficulty could boldly stop by.”
Ms. Nguyen Kim Lien (Quy Nhon Nam ward) also promptly supported 200 life jackets for volunteer rescue teams to take people to safety.
Ms. Nguyen Kim Lien donated 200 life jackets to relief teams. Photo: Hai Yen
In addition, many schools and commune and ward People's Committees have arranged classrooms and halls as temporary accommodation for people; at the same time, they have received relief goods such as milk, instant noodles, clean water, warm clothes, blankets, etc. to distribute according to needs.
Volunteers pack and cook at Hai Au Hotel. Photo: DVCC
While taking care of the immediate lives, rescue teams continue to scan each deeply flooded area, helping to evacuate the elderly, children, and pregnant women to safety. Images of rescuers helping each person through rushing water or volunteers wading through chest-deep water to deliver necessities have become bright spots amid the days of intense rain and floods.
Gathering point for necessities at Hai Au Hotel. Photo: DVCC
Source: https://gialai.gov.vn/tin-tuc/tin-van-hoa-xa-hoi/gia-lai-chung-suc-giup-nhau-vuot-qua-con-lu-du.html
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