Build a second floor and construct an attic to protect against flooding.

Following lessons learned from previous years' major floods, many households in flood-prone areas of the province are choosing new ways to cope with this year's rainy season. From building mezzanines and erecting steel frames to investing in completing second floors, this proactive approach shows a significant shift in people's mindset regarding disaster prevention and mitigation.

The sturdy steel-framed house of Ms. Tran Thi Hai Ly's family (Group 7, Quan Trieu Ward) was built to provide flood-resistant housing.

As the rainy season approaches this year, many residential areas in Linh Son and Quan Trieu wards are urgently preparing for floods. Having learned from previous major floods, many households, in addition to proactively raising their belongings and reinforcing their houses, have boldly invested in improving their living spaces, building mezzanines, and constructing "flood-resistant floors" to protect themselves and their property.

The family of Ms. Tran Thi Hai Ly (in Group 7, Quan Trieu Ward) is one of the households that chose a more drastic response when the rainy season began. In 2025, a sudden major flood occurred, leaving her family almost no time to react. The water rose quickly, while their single-story house lacked space to move belongings to higher ground. Many household items and electronic devices were affected.

In the days following the flood, the cleanup and repairs dragged on, disrupting the lives of the entire family. Learning from that experience, Ms. Ly decided to invest approximately 300 million VND to complete the second floor of her house.

Beyond simply serving living needs, this space has also been identified by the family as a safe haven during floods. Ms. Ly shared: "After last year's flood, my family realized we needed to be more proactive. Since it's a single-story house, we almost didn't know where to move our belongings when the water rose. Therefore, we decided to invest in building a complete second floor to provide both long-term living space and a safe haven for people and property if floodwaters rise."

Working away from home frequently, Mr. Tran Thanh Nam (from Group 10, Linh Son Ward) is most concerned about the elderly and children at home who are still in school. After witnessing unexpected floods in the past two years, he decided to invest over 60 million VND in building a steel-framed, wooden-paneled attic for his family to proactively cope with heavy rains and floods. The attic is equipped with sufficient space for cooking and essential living. For him, this structure is not only for flood protection but also provides peace of mind for his loved ones while he is away.

From newly constructed attics and fully renovated second floors to living spaces prepared to cope with rising water levels, the changes in mindset and practices of people in areas previously affected by flooding are clearly visible.

When people proactively adapt and the government proactively implements response plans, the community's resilience to natural disasters is also enhanced. This is not only a solution for this year's rainy and stormy season, but also a necessary direction in the context of increasing natural disaster risks.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202605/lam-tang-hai-dung-gac-xep-phong-chong-lu-e656516/