Set up camp, stick with the people

According to our records, before storm No. 13 made landfall, from An Khe ward (Gia Lai), more than 400 officers and soldiers of Division 2 quickly mobilized to coastal wards and communes of Gia Lai and Dak Lak provinces to support the people. As soon as they arrived, taking advantage of every moment, the soldiers immediately started supporting fishermen in tying up and anchoring boats and ships, moving aquaculture cages to sheltered places. Some forces focused on helping hospitals, schools, policy families, and disadvantaged people reinforce their houses, stockpile food, clean water; propagate and mobilize people in dangerous areas to proactively evacuate their assets and take shelter to ensure safety.

Leaders of Military Region 5 visited and presented gifts to support people in Canh Tien village (Canh Vinh commune, Gia Lai province) affected by storm No. 13.

Talking to us, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Long Vong, Deputy Division Commander, Chief of Staff of Division 2 said: “Determining that the work of preventing, combating and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters is a combat mission in peacetime, the Party Committee and Division commanders focus on leading and directing agencies and units to do a good job of disseminating, educating and building determination for the troops; have many policies and solutions that are close, correct and appropriate, constantly improving the quality of training, practice and rehearsals on contents related to the work of preventing, combating natural disasters, rescue and search and rescue, always associated with the reality of the area, focusing on improving skills in handling situations, the ability to coordinate with local forces. At the same time, actively prepare adequate means, equipment, technical supplies and essential logistics such as boats, canoes, life jackets, anchor ropes, medicine, dry food and rescue and rescue materials, ensuring that when ordered, they can be deployed immediately. Thanks to that, in the conditions of stationing in the wild Although the working environment is difficult, toxic, and the workload is large, officers and soldiers always uphold their sense of responsibility and are determined to excellently complete assigned tasks.

In fact, when deploying forces to Tra Tan and Tra Leng communes (Da Nang), Duc Pho (Quang Ngai), with specialized vehicles, materials and machinery, the 270th Engineer Brigade (Military Region 5) promptly evacuated and relocated more than 1,000 people from flooded areas to safety; overcame landslides, cleared dozens of kilometers on National Highway 40B and inter-village and inter-commune roads; supported families to bring 2 coffins of their relatives through the flood for burial; promptly took 2 people to the emergency room; served 10 working delegations from the Central, Army and local authorities to visit and give gifts to people; transported more than 7 tons of relief goods to Tra Tan commune; supported 60 boxes of dry food and 200 meals for people in flooded areas to evacuate to Quang Nam Regional General Hospital. According to Lieutenant Colonel Ton That Tuong, Deputy Brigade Commander and Chief of Staff of the Brigade, before storm No. 13 made landfall, the unit reviewed and supplemented response plans for specific situations such as heavy rain, strong storms, flash floods, landslides, widespread flooding, and strictly maintained on-duty regimes, ensuring the fastest mobilization of forces and vehicles when situations arise.

Officers and soldiers of Regiment 1 (Division 2) join hands to clean up fallen trees on the central streets of Quy Nhon ward, Gia Lai province.

Implement well "4 on-site"

Storm No. 13 swept through Gia Lai for only a few hours but caused very serious consequences. From urban to rural areas, tens of thousands of houses had their roofs blown off, hundreds of houses collapsed, dozens of fishing boats were sunk; infrastructure (electricity, roads, schools, stations) was devastated.

Colonel Nguyen The Vinh, Commander of the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command, shared his experience: “When storm No. 13 was about to enter the East Sea, we promptly advised the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People's Committee to deploy functional forces to conduct a review and count of all ships, boats, and vehicles of the people operating at sea and along the coast; notify, guide and call on cage and raft owners on rivers and seas to urgently move ashore; step by step research and build detailed scenarios to respond to situations of strong storms and long-term floods after the storm”.

Implementing the "4 on-the-spot" motto, the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command proactively advised the Provincial People's Committee to establish a forward command committee with the military as the core; deploying forces to urgently mobilize to coastal communes and wards, highland villages and hamlets, both helping people reinforce their houses and constructions, and being ready to handle unexpected situations that may occur. On national highways, provincial roads, inter-village and inter-commune roads at risk of landslides and local isolation, the Provincial Military Command has arranged forces and means to promptly clear the route to serve the leadership, direction, rescue, and travel of the people. Regarding support for Gia Lai against the storm, forces of Division 2, Brigades 772, 573, 575, National Military Training Center 2 (Military Region 5), Division 31 (Army Corps 34) have stood shoulder to shoulder with the people.

Thanks to that, before the storm hit, many houses and structures had their roofs filled, braced, and reinforced, thus reducing damage. When the storm hit, rescue teams in the area and at the base promptly provided support, bringing hundreds of people whose houses had their roofs blown off or collapsed to safe shelters. As soon as the storm passed, the forces continued to join hands to overcome the consequences of the natural disaster, helping people gradually stabilize their lives.

Soldiers of the 573rd Air Defense Artillery Brigade help households in An Nhon Dong commune, Gia Lai province re-roof their houses after the storm.

Unique "invention" of people in storm and flood areas

From ancient times until now, people in the Central region have been very familiar with the situation of "living with storms and floods". Therefore, every time a storm comes, they always have many ways to cope to reduce damage and ensure the safety of life and property. During the days when agencies and units of the Military Region 5 made efforts to help people cope with the sudden natural disasters, we saw that people in the Central region had quite unique "inventions" such as: "field" kitchens, multi-purpose boats, mobile water tanks, banana rafts "carrying" green vegetables... Those "inventions" are drawn from practice to help people maintain their lives in the middle of the storm...

The “field” stove consists of only 3 bricks placed in an aluminum basin, with a layer of dry ash spread inside. The stove is compact, airtight, very convenient to use, and saves firewood. When needed, it can be moved anywhere in storm and flood areas. In fact, the “field” stoves have become an item that helps thousands of people “light the fire” every time their houses are deeply submerged in floodwaters...

The reason why it is called a multi-purpose boat is because in case of a big flood, the whole family gathers on the boat, all activities from cooking, traveling, sleeping, resting all take place on the boat. The boat is tied to a fixed position, the boat floats as the water rises. In fact, in emergency conditions, local people have proactively used the boat as a means of evacuating the elderly, children and transporting food to safety.

Mobile water tanks were invented by people in the Central region from barrels and plastic barrels tied to buoys. When it rains heavily, people put the mobile water tanks out to collect water. In case of high flood, the mobile water tanks also float up.

Banana rafts “carrying” green vegetables are banana rafts covered with tarpaulins “carrying” all kinds of green vegetables. Despite the heavy rain and floods, the vegetable rafts are still lush. To have these rafts, people choose the biggest banana tree trunks and tie them together. On top, spread a layer of plastic, then spread humus, organic fertilizer, then sow seeds or plant vegetable varieties. Thanks to the humid climate, vegetables grow very quickly, so despite storms and floods, people still have green vegetables.

With the joint efforts of the entire political system, the timely support and assistance of the armed forces, the spirit of solidarity, overcoming difficulties, and the strong will to rise of each citizen, the work of overcoming the consequences of storm No. 13 was carried out very urgently and effectively.

Assessing the role of the Army in preventing and fighting storm No. 13, comrade Thai Dai Ngoc, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Gia Lai Provincial Party Committee affirmed: “In recent days, the agencies and units of the Military Region 5 and the Army units stationed in the Central region have always been the most solid support for the people in responding to the sudden natural disasters. The Party Committee, the government and the people always put their full trust in the officers and soldiers of the Army.”

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/llvt-tren-dia-ban-quan-khu-5-no-luc-giup-dan-ung-pho-voi-thien-tai-don-dap-chu-dong-cac-phuong-an-giup-nhan-dan-1011425