Property swept away by the raging flood.
As the floodwaters receded, we arrived at the Cho Ga area (Tay Nha Trang ward), considered the epicenter of the flooding, having been submerged under more than 2 meters of water. Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai (Phu Tan street) stood silently in front of her small house, its wooden door hinges broken, her eyes still reflecting the shock: “I’ve never experienced such a severe flood as this year. Almost all my possessions were swept away: refrigerator, washing machine... even a bag of rice I just bought and hadn’t had a chance to use yet.” Her husband, while continuously pushing away the thick layer of mud on the floor, smiled sadly: “We’ll have to start over. As long as we have our health, we can still earn a living. The important thing is to quickly clean up the house before the mud dries and hardens, so the children have a place to study.”
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| Cadets from the Signal Corps Officer School assisted with cleaning at Vinh Phuong 1 Kindergarten. |
Throwing away heavy, waterlogged bags of clothes, Mr. Nguyen The Vinh (a small trader at Ga Market) said dejectedly, “I knew this was a low-lying area, so when I saw the heavy rain and flood warnings, I moved my goods to a height of over 1 meter. Unexpectedly, the water rose more than 2 meters, submerging my clothes, blankets, sheets, pillows, and mattresses. I have two stalls, and I had just stocked up on Tet goods early; now nearly 1.5 billion VND worth of goods has been swept away by the water.”
In the northern ward of Nha Trang, nearly a dozen houses collapsed overnight due to the flooding. Standing before a wall stained with the scars of the disaster, war veteran Le Tan Phuong (number 41, Ha Phuoc Street) trembled as he looked at the Cai River, which had swallowed his family's house, and sadly said: "Having lived 75 years, I never imagined that at the end of our lives, my wife and I would lose our home. Well, at least we still have our belongings. For now, we'll stay with relatives, and figure things out later."
Urgently restore schools and hospitals.
Early in the morning of November 22nd, Mr. Than Tan Tam, the Deputy Principal in charge of Vinh Trung Primary School (Tay Nha Trang ward), arrived at the school to inspect the situation. He was met with a scene of utter devastation: the schoolyard was covered in mud; large trees were uprooted; desks and chairs lay scattered; over 100 meters of the perimeter wall had collapsed; and all the documents, computers, and printers in the administrative office were damaged. “The school has never suffered such heavy damage. It is estimated that it will take at least a week to repair everything and allow students to return to school,” Mr. Tam said.
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| Doctors at Khanh Hoa Tropical Diseases Hospital examine patients. |
At Luong The Vinh Secondary School (Tay Nha Trang ward), more than 80 officers and trainees from Battalion 2, Naval Academy, were present from early morning on November 22nd to assist with cleaning. All desks and chairs were moved outside to the courtyard to be scraped clean of mud. Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Van Thanh, Deputy Commander of Battalion 2, said: “Following the academy's deployment and based on the list of schools damaged by the floods in Tay Nha Trang ward, the battalion directly contacted the schools to assist with cleaning. The biggest difficulty at Luong The Vinh Secondary School is that there is only one water tap, and the flow is very weak. But we are determined to do our best.”
At Khanh Hoa Tropical Diseases Hospital (Dien Khanh commune), the receding floodwaters left behind a thick layer of mud covering the ground floor. Many medical devices lay scattered. Water stains on the walls marked the water level, which had risen between 1.5 and 2 meters. Without water or electricity, doctors and nurses had to roll up their trousers, wading through the mud to clean up while simultaneously maintaining operations, utilizing safe areas on the upper floors to ensure uninterrupted emergency care and patient treatment. Dr. Ly The Huy, Deputy Director in charge of the hospital, said: “The hospital currently has about 100 patients and 150 family members, including those affected by the floods who are taking shelter. We have mobilized all our resources to mitigate the consequences of the flooding and maintain treatment, striving to ensure the availability of medicine and medical supplies; and simultaneously transferring severe cases to Khanh Hoa General Hospital.”
Following the floods, many other medical facilities also suffered damage to equipment, chemicals, and supplies, including: the Oncology Hospital, the Psychiatric Hospital, the Dien Khanh Regional Health Center, the Khanh Vinh Regional Health Center, the Nha Trang Health Center, the Yersin Nha Trang General Hospital, the Dermatology Hospital, the Khanh Hoa Lung Hospital, the Ninh Thuan Lung Hospital, and the Bac Ai Regional Health Center... The total estimated damage to date is 170 billion VND. It is known that immediately after the floods occurred, the Department of Health issued an urgent document requesting all units in the sector to thoroughly implement the "4 on-site" principle; maintain a strict 24/7 on-call system; and proactively review, arrange, and mobilize personnel to ensure the reception of emergency care, examination, treatment, and patient care. The province's preventive health units are actively disinfecting residential areas and providing guidance on food safety measures. The Provincial Center for Disease Control has supplied an additional 2,000 kg of Chloramine B to healthcare facilities for disinfection. Healthcare facilities are maintaining sufficient supplies of medication for patients.
Ensure essential services are provided as soon as possible.
While widespread power outages during heavy rains and floods are necessary to ensure public safety, restoring power as soon as the floodwaters recede is a top priority. Khanh Hoa Power Corporation has directed the mobilization of resources to address, restore, and supply electricity to areas affected by power cuts, especially pumping stations, water treatment plants, and essential infrastructure serving the public. Subordinate units have mobilized maximum manpower and equipment, adhering to the principle of "inspecting and restoring power as soon as the water recedes," ensuring the safety of people and equipment before restoring power. Power workers have been urgently deployed to flooded areas to check technical parameters. Mr. Phan Nam Chung, Deputy Head of the Nha Trang Central Power Management Team, said: “To restore electricity to the flood-affected areas as quickly as possible, the team dispatched 100 officials, engineers, and technicians to the flooded areas immediately after the water receded. They worked through the night, braving the rain and mud to repair the power grid. By noon on November 23rd, the entire area was no longer flooded and had electricity restored.”
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| VNPT staff repaired the transmission point as soon as the floodwaters receded. |
Heavy rains and flooding caused severe submersion at the pumping stations of the Vo Canh and Xuan Phong plants (Khanh Hoa Water Supply and Drainage Joint Stock Company), forcing the company to temporarily suspend water supply to four wards: Nha Trang, Nam Nha Trang, Bac Nha Trang, and Tay Nha Trang, as well as surrounding areas, from the morning of November 20th. Immediately after the water receded, the company gradually restored the system and resumed water supply from the evening of November 21st. Currently, water supply is not at maximum capacity, while demand is increasing. To ensure continued water supply, the company requests customers to use water sparingly and rationally, prioritizing essential needs; and continues its efforts to restore 100% water supply capacity.
To restore communication, the Department of Science and Technology, along with telecommunications companies VNPT, Viettel, and MobiFone, mobilized personnel and resources to urgently reach areas experiencing signal loss and restore the network. Mr. Pham Quoc Hoan, Director of the Department of Science and Technology, stated that this flood caused widespread damage in the Central region, making the restoration of telecommunications infrastructure more challenging as telecommunications companies had to simultaneously address issues in multiple localities. However, from early morning on November 21st, all staff and employees worked tirelessly through mud and water from morning to night. By the afternoon of November 23rd, telecommunications companies had restored over 85% of the flooded BTS (mobile base transceiver stations). “With the forecast that Khanh Hoa may continue to experience rain due to the influence of Typhoon No. 15, we have requested that telecommunications companies, during the restoration process, also consider contingency plans for stations that may be flooded to ensure better communication,” Mr. Pham Quoc Hoan added.
The post-disaster reconstruction effort still has much work to be done, but with the determination of the entire political system, the resilience of the people, and the joint support from all over the country, Khanh Hoa province will soon overcome difficulties, stabilize production and life. The lives of the people will gradually return to normal...
REPORTER TEAM
Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/xa-hoi/202511/khan-truongtai-thiet-abb6cf3/
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