More than 100 schools closed due to floods

Nghe An The flood has receded, but many schools cannot welcome students because they are still submerged in mud and water from 0.5 to 1 meter.

On September 28, the Nghe An Department of Education and Training said that during two days of heavy rain and floods, more than 100 schools in Quy Chau, Quy Hop, Que Phong, Tan Ky, Thanh Chuong, Nghia Dan, Ky Son, Nam Dan, Do Luong districts... had allowed tens of thousands of students to stay home from school to ensure safety.

On the afternoon of September 28, floodwaters had receded, but many schools were still unable to reopen and were focusing on overcoming the consequences.

Chau Thang Kindergarten, Quy Chau district, had mud and floodwaters inundating the yard. Photo: Hung Le — Chau Thang Kindergarten, Quy Chau district, had mud and floodwaters inundating the yard. Photo: *Hung Le*

In Quy Chau district, where the floods caused the most damage in the province, 32 schools were still closed due to floodwaters entering the yard and classrooms, damaging many items and equipment. Some places such as Chau Thang Kindergarten and Primary School had mud in the yard, 0.5-1m high.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chau, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Quy Chau district, said that in addition to solving the problem at school, hundreds of teachers also focused on helping affected colleagues clean up their houses.

According to Ms. Chau, due to limited manpower, it is very difficult to scrape mud from classrooms and the yard, sometimes the mud overflows back because there is no barrier. The department is asking for support from the police and military to make this work more effective.

"Chau Thang Kindergarten and Primary School will reopen early next week. The remaining schools suffered minor damage, and students can return to class tomorrow," said Ms. Chau.

Teachers in Quy Chau district are scraping mud out of the classroom. Photo: Hung Le — Teachers in Quy Chau district are scraping mud out of the classroom. Photo: *Hung Le*

The tropical depression weakened after entering Thua Thien Hue and moved to Laos early on September 26, but its circulation caused rain in the provinces of Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, and Thanh Hoa. According to the meteorological agency, from 8:00 p.m. on September 26 to 8:00 p.m. on September 27, Chau Binh 2 (Nghe An) had 390 mm of rain, Son Kim 3 (Ha Tinh) 140 mm, and Yen My (Thanh Hoa) 240 mm.

Being the epicenter of the rain, Nghe An recorded more than 1,600 houses flooded, 830 houses isolated; 40 roads and 76 bridges submerged in floodwaters. Damage was concentrated in 8 midland and mountainous districts including: Quy Chau, Que Phong, Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan, Do Luong, Yen Thanh, Nghia Dan, Ky Son.

Duc Hung

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