Amidst the raging flood, living with the flow of news.

In early September 2024, Thai Nguyen province was grappling with a historic storm named YAGI. Prolonged heavy rains, accompanied by tornadoes and flash floods, submerged many areas in water. As reporters for the Thai Nguyen Online Newspaper, my colleagues and I barely had a night of restful sleep. But no one complained – because we understood that in the fury of nature, what people needed most was timely, accurate, and complete information.

Reporters Nguyen Ngoc and Hoai Anh ( Thai Nguyen Newspaper) are working at Tuc Duyen Primary School (Thai Nguyen City).

The storm hasn't arrived yet, but the leopards are already in action.

As soon as information emerged that Typhoon Yagi could affect the midland region of Northern Vietnam, the Electronic News Department of Thai Nguyen Newspaper activated its typhoon response mode. We assigned personnel to closely monitor meteorological reports, prepare warning content, and coordinate with relevant authorities to provide disaster prevention and control information to the public as early as possible.

Detailed weather forecasts, analyses of storm paths, vulnerable areas, and risks of landslides and flooding are continuously updated on Thai Nguyen Newspaper's online platform and social media. Each special weather report broadcast attracts tens of thousands of views. However, what each member of the production team cares about is not the number of views or interactions, but simply that people can access the information, understand the danger of YAGI, and have enough time to prepare.

Each reporter is ready to accept and complete the assigned task. In the photo: Reporter Hoai Anh working during the floods.

The night of August 8-9 was an unforgettable one. At 11 PM, information from the Provincial Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue Command Center reported that the water level of the Cau River had reached alarm level 3 - an extremely dangerous threshold. Immediately, hundreds of officers and soldiers were deployed to 5 vulnerable sections of the dike, approximately 300 meters long, to urgently reinforce the dike, mobilizing pumps, sandbags, and gabions to block the water flow.

Our team, armed with cameras, phones, life vests, and microphones, immediately arrived at the Song Cau dike to livestream the disaster prevention and control efforts. Comments and shares skyrocketed. Seeing messages like, "Thanks to Thai Nguyen newspaper for the information, my family was able to move to higher ground in time," gave the field reporters renewed motivation to "fight the flood."

Sharing the same trenches with the flood control forces.

In the early morning of September 9th, messages flooded the Zalo group chat of the Electronic Newsroom: "My house is flooded by more than 1 meter"; "No electricity, no water, the signal is too weak"; "The entire Tuc Duyen area is isolated, the road to the newsroom is flooded by nearly half a meter"... Most reporters in the department were in the heart of the flood zone. Their homes were flooded, roads were cut off, but no one abandoned their duties.

We split into groups; some went to Phu Luong, others to Dong Hy, and some stayed in Thai Nguyen City to record the situation firsthand. With no phone signal or internet, reporters had to move to higher ground to send news, photos, and videos back to the editorial office. The online newspaper and social media pages of Thai Nguyen Newspaper remained active. Many readers messaged us with thanks: "Without the newspaper, we wouldn't know what the situation was like and wouldn't know how to protect ourselves."

Reporter Lang Khoa (Thai Nguyen Newspaper) filming at the epicenter of the flood.

During Typhoon Yagi, I saw one thing very clearly: the press is not standing idly by in the fight against natural disasters. We worked alongside the soldiers, police, militia, and volunteers – present at the hotspots, documenting the most tense and moving moments. I once stood beside police officers, soldiers, and militia members whose eyes were red from lack of sleep: “Everyone is exhausted, but we can’t rest yet because people are still trapped in the floods.”

I also documented images of rescue teams and volunteers constantly wading through floodwaters to deliver food to isolated communities, and free kitchens continuously cooking meals of rice, porridge, noodles, and vermicelli to send to people in flooded areas.

Thousands upon thousands of hearts turned towards Thai Nguyen. The spirit of solidarity, camaraderie, and mutual support was strengthened and spread powerfully. Images, thanks to the press, reached the public – spreading a powerful message about humanity, willpower, and the determination of a Thai Nguyen determined to "strive and unite to overcome natural disasters."

Telling stories after the flood

By September 12th, as the weather cleared and the water began to recede slowly, we continued our "battle." The storm had caused property damage exceeding 780 billion VND; over 25,800 households had to be urgently evacuated; nearly 10,000 hectares of crops were flooded and damaged; and 160 transportation routes were affected by landslides… Summary reports on the damage, news reports on relief efforts, production restoration, and flood mitigation initiatives were constantly updated. The Electronics Department remained brightly lit throughout the night; no one dared to slack off.

“The most important task right now is for all forces, Party organizations, government agencies, mass organizations, and the people to focus their efforts on immediately overcoming the consequences of Typhoon No. 3.” Following the directive of Provincial Party Secretary Trinh Viet Hung, the entire political system mobilized all resources to quickly address the disruptions to transportation and irrigation; ensure essential supplies, provide clean water, and implement disinfection and sterilization measures in residential areas and schools to ensure the health of the people.

Reporters are regularly present at hotspots to provide the most accurate information and images about the floods. In the photo: Police officers from the province assist residents of Quang Vinh ward (Thai Nguyen City) in moving out of the flooded area during the September 2024 floods.

We're on the road again! In heavily damaged areas such as Thai Nguyen City, Phu Luong, Phu Binh, Pho Yen, etc., our team of reporters stayed on the ground, coordinating with the government, rescue forces, and working groups to report on the actual situation. Information such as: locations providing free essential supplies; landslide areas that are still impassable; areas that remain isolated; and schools needing cleanup assistance were continuously updated on the newspaper's website and digital platforms to help authorities understand the situation and to create a bridge for charitable organizations and philanthropists wanting to provide support. As a result, hundreds of shares and many organizations contacted the hotspots directly thanks to the timely information provided by the press.

In addition to reporting from the scene, we also compiled and analyzed damage data from relevant authorities, creating visually appealing and easily shareable infographics. Several quick interviews with local leaders, relief units, and residents in the affected areas were also conducted to provide a multi-faceted perspective…

Working as a journalist during the floods was both hectic and stressful; we worried about our work and our families. But most of all, we understood that if we weren't on the scene, the information wouldn't reach those who needed it. And in many moments amidst the floods, we understood even more that we were living up to the profession we had chosen: recording the truth, reflecting the most authentic pulse of life.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202506/giua-lu-du-song-cung-dong-tin-e653add/