Hanoi: 16,000 people in Trung Gia commune are isolated, water level still exceeds level III alarm

On the morning of October 10, Trung Gia commune (Hanoi) was still deeply submerged after many days of heavy rain due to the impact of storm No. 11. The water level of Cau River exceeded the alarm level 3 by more than 2 meters; thousands of households were isolated, many roads, dykes and railways were severely damaged.

Flood water rose rapidly, many residential areas were submerged in water.

According to the Quick Report of the Trung Gia Commune Civil Defense Command at 7:00 a.m. on October 10, the entire commune had 4,041 households with more than 16,000 people isolated due to deep flooding. Of these, 862 households (3,434 people) had been moved to safety; about 125 households (512 people) were still in high-risk areas that needed further evacuation.

The water level of Cau River at Luong Phuc station measured at 6:00 a.m. the same day reached 10.10 meters, more than 2 meters higher than the level III alarm. The water level of Ca Lo River also exceeded the level III alarm by nearly 2 meters, causing banks to overflow and widespread flooding in the villages of Do Tan, An Lac, Lai Son, Trung Kien, Hoa Binh ...

On the Do Tan dike (level IV dike), water overflowed 7 km of dike, the overflow height was about 1 meter; at the Vong Am dike, the overflow was about 1 km, also almost 1 meter higher than the dike surface. The level III and IV dike sections were urgently reinforced by the people, shock troops and the army throughout the night.

“It’s been 48 years since we’ve seen such a big flood. The water rose so quickly, it only took a few hours for the house to flood,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Phu, a resident of Trung Gia commune.

Video recorded by reporters in Trung Gia commune after storm No. 11:

Traffic paralyzed, railway eroded hundreds of meters

Rising floodwaters paralyzed the local transport infrastructure. National Highway 3 through the Yamaha factory and Xuan Son areas was flooded from 1.2 to 1.5 meters deep, stretching hundreds of meters; the route connecting Kim Son with Highway 35 and Provincial Road 296 was flooded from 50 cm to 1 meter deep.

In particular, the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen railway section through Trung Gia commune was severely eroded, the roadbed was washed away for nearly 1 km, 3-4 m deep. Dozens of railway workers and local forces were mobilized to urgently reinforce to ensure safety.

“The floodwaters rose so quickly that many freight trains were forced to make emergency stops. If not addressed promptly, the risk of landslides will continue to increase,” said a representative of the Hanoi Railway Management Company.

Along with that, many residential areas in Hoa Binh, An Lac, Trung Kien villages... were completely flooded, some places up to 1.5 m deep. Many households had to take temporary shelter at cultural houses, schools or relatives' houses, waiting for the water to recede. Rescue teams had to use motorboats and temporary rafts to bring the elderly and children out of the dangerous area at night.

4 on-the-spot efforts – full force to protect the dike and rescue people

According to Mr. Nguyen Ba Hoang, Chairman of Trung Gia Commune People's Committee, the locality has activated the entire "4 on-site" plan: on-site command, on-site forces, on-site means, on-site logistics; mobilizing all militia, shock forces, commune police and supporting military units.

From the evening of October 9 to the early morning of October 10, 70 soldiers, 2 specialized vehicles, 2 motorboats and hundreds of militiamen were mobilized to rescue and transport people and property out of the deeply flooded area. Forces of Brigade 86, Artillery Regiment 86, and Enterprise Z49 were also mobilized to coordinate the rescue.

Cultural houses and schools were requisitioned as safe gathering points. Here, the commune government and local organizations provided food, water, and blankets for the people.

“We are still on duty 24/7 at heavily flooded areas, continuing to mobilize the remaining households to leave the danger zone. The biggest difficulties are deep water, cut-off roads, lack of boats and access vehicles,” said Mr. Nguyen Ba Hoang.

Notably, as of 10:00 a.m. the same day, the water level of Cau River through the commune was receding rapidly. The Trung Gia Commune Civil Defense Command has established working groups to evacuate people from flooded areas. At the same time, it has organized relief plans and provided food and necessities to the people.

It is known that Hanoi City leaders were present and met with the commune's functional forces all night to prevent floods.

Floodwaters surrounded Trung Gia commune on all sides, causing many difficulties for people.

People's lives were turned upside down.

Many dike sections have been reinforced, ready to cope with rising river water levels.

Soldiers of Regiment 68, Division 312 reinforce dikes to respond to floods in Trung Gia commune.

As of 10 a.m., traffic through many villages had not yet been restored.

Authorities had to block many roads due to flooding.

Hundreds of meals were cooked by volunteers at Phong My Village Cultural House to support people in flood-affected areas.

Urgently overcome landslides

Earlier on the evening of October 9, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh personally went to Soc Son area to inspect flood response work in Trung Gia and Da Phuc communes - considered the most "vulnerable areas". The Prime Minister requested the maximum mobilization of military and police forces, urgent rescue organization, putting people's safety first; at the same time, directed ministries and branches to urgently overcome landslide incidents.

The Hanoi People's Committee has also established a forward command post in Da Phuc commune, under the direct command of the Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee, coordinating with functional forces to provide relief, reinforce dikes and organize supplies for isolated areas.

According to reporters, thousands of officers, soldiers and volunteers are still on duty day and night on the dikes of Cau and Ca Lo rivers, taking shifts to guard, reinforce sandbags, and monitor water levels every hour.

This historic flood caused heavy damage to the people of Trung Gia - where there are many large-scale livestock farms. Many households lost hundreds of pigs and thousands of poultry; some households suffered estimated losses of 3-4 billion VND. Along with that, hundreds of hectares of crops and plants were deeply flooded and severely damaged.

The internal traffic routes of the commune were eroded, the roadbed was seriously damaged. The commune government said that they are compiling statistics to report to the City Civil Defense Command, requesting support with boats, food, necessities and additional rescue vehicles.

According to the Northern Hydrometeorological Station, the water level of Cau River and Ca Lo River is showing signs of slowing down, but still exceeds the third alarm level by more than 2 meters; the risk of dyke collapse and bank overflow is still very high. Authorities advise people to absolutely not return home when the water has not completely receded, to avoid subjectivity leading to unfortunate accidents.

Trung Gia Commune People's Committee is coordinating with other forces to continue checking key points, ensuring the safety of the dike and preparing relief plans for the next few days. Infrastructure repair, environmental sanitation, and support for people to restore their daily lives will be implemented as soon as the water recedes.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/anh/ha-noi-16000-dan-xa-trung-gia-bi-co-lap-nuoc-van-vuot-bao-dong-iii-20251010100251455.htm