Flood after flood, difficulties piled up.

On the afternoon of October 29th, heavy rain combined with the release of water from upstream reservoirs caused severe flooding again in the downstream areas of Hue and Da Nang. Difficulties are compounded as people's food reserves are dwindling.

The water receded in the morning, but flooded again in the afternoon.

On the morning of October 29th, the floodwaters of the Perfume River receded slowly, prompting residents to rush to buy medicine and essential supplies. However, in the afternoon of the same day, heavy rain upstream caused hydroelectric and irrigation reservoirs to release large volumes of water, resulting in renewed flooding in 32 out of 40 wards and communes in Hue City. All roads from the center of Hoa Chau ward (Hue City) to residential areas such as Quan Hoa, Van Quat Dong, Thuan Hoa, etc., were cut off by the floodwaters.

The entire Hoi An Old Town area ( Da Nang City) is heavily flooded. Photo: Nguyen Cuong

According to Tran Ngoc Duong, Secretary of the Hoa Chau Ward Party Committee, since the aftermath of Typhoon No. 12, the entire ward has been surrounded by floodwaters on all sides. The ward's Party Committee and People's Council headquarters are submerged in more than 2 meters of water. The people here are in extreme hardship. The most valuable assets of the farmers have been damaged or swept away by the floodwaters. If the flooding continues and deepens, difficulties will pile up, and food supplies are running out.

In Da Nang, from noon on October 29th, torrential rain and rising floodwaters occurred in downstream communes of the Vu Gia - Thu Bon river system, such as Thuong Duc, Dai Loc, and Nong Son. Ms. Truong Thi Nhu Y (residing in Nghia Trung village, Dai Loc commune) said that the floodwaters receded in the morning but rose rapidly again by noon, even higher than before. Currently, 10 communes in Da Nang are completely isolated by the floods, and 29 communes with over 66,800 houses are flooded. Dr. Nguyen Tai, Director of Quang Nam Regional General Hospital, said that patients and their families are currently facing difficulties with food and clean water due to the flood surrounding the hospital. The water level is nearly 2 meters high and flowing rapidly, exceeding even the historical flood peak of 1999, making supplies very difficult.

In the Co An Tay neighborhood (Dien Ban Dong ward, Da Nang city), heavy and prolonged rain has caused water levels to rise by 3-4 meters, isolating many households for the past two days. Ms. Nguyen Thu (54 years old, residing in Dien Ban Dong ward) shared that as the water rises, people have to clean up and move their belongings to higher ground, but everyone is worried because the rain hasn't stopped yet, and daily life is almost completely paralyzed.

On the afternoon of October 29th, the National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting warned that around late afternoon and night of October 30th, a cold front would begin to affect the Northeast region, then spread to the North Central, Northwest, and Central regions.

From October 30th to November 1st, due to the combination of a cold front and an easterly wind disturbance, the Northeast region will experience scattered rain. From the night of November 1st, the North and North Central regions will have cold nights and mornings, with freezing temperatures in mountainous areas. Notably, due to the influence of the upper-level easterly wind disturbance combined with a strengthening cold front, the area from Thanh Hoa to northern Quang Tri is likely to experience moderate to heavy rain, with localized very heavy rain.

Using ropes to deliver supplies to the people.

On October 29th, the People's Committee of Hoa Xuan Ward (Da Nang City) coordinated with the armed forces to urgently evacuate dozens of households located in deeply flooded areas in Tay An residential group. Mr. Le Cong Dong, Vice Chairman of the Hoa Xuan Ward People's Committee, said that they mobilized forces in coordination with the police and military, using specialized vehicles to assist the residents.

Armed forces in Da Nang City transport essential supplies to the Quang Nam Regional General Hospital, which is surrounded by floods. Photo: Nguyen Cuong

In Thanh An village (Dien Ban Tay commune, Da Nang city), more than 200 households are isolated. Residents have no choice but to use boats and canoes to reach the main road to buy food, water, and medicine to stock up for the coming days. On the morning of October 29th, in Tan Hiep village (Tra My commune), rising water levels isolated eight households with over 40 people who were unable to evacuate in time. The Command of Defense Zone 3 - Tra My used a drone to transport essential supplies to the isolated area. On the same day, the Hong Van Border Gate Border Guard Post (Hue City Border Guard) utilized large tree trunks to install a system of ropes and pulleys to transport relief supplies to the isolated residents of Ta Lo A Ho village, A Luoi 1 commune.

On the same day, Mr. Phan Thien Dinh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hue City, said that a document had been sent to the Prime Minister requesting financial support for the emergency handling of damaged transportation, irrigation, dike, and coastal embankment projects. The People's Committee of Quang Ngai province requested the Government to consider providing emergency assistance to the province with 5,000 tons of rice, 10,000 boxes of instant noodles, 2 tons of dried food; 5,000 kg of powdered Chloramin B, 50,000 Aquatabs tablets... to organize medical examinations for the people; disinfect and treat environmental pollution in flood-affected areas, and prevent disease outbreaks. At the same time, they requested 200 billion VND in emergency assistance to repair damaged transportation and irrigation works, clean water supply systems, canals, and pipelines, as well as to address landslides and mountain erosion.

The Lo Xo Pass continues to experience landslides.

On October 29th, Mr. Nguyen Thuc Phuoc Hai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Binh commune (Lam Dong province), stated that due to prolonged heavy rain, rising floodwaters inundated the Bac Binh Water Treatment Plant (Bac Binh Water Supply Branch, belonging to Binh Thuan Water Supply and Drainage Joint Stock Company), leaving thousands of households without access to clean water. A representative from the company reported that they have dispatched personnel to address the issue and are striving to restore water supply by October 30th.

On October 29th, heavy and prolonged rainfall in western communes of Quang Ngai province, such as Ngoc Linh, Xop, Mang Ri, Dak Plo, and Dak Pek, caused serious landslides, cutting off traffic. Four new landslides occurred on the Ho Chi Minh Highway section through Lo Xo Pass in Quang Ngai province (from Dak Pek to Dak Che Waterfall), burying the road surface and paralyzing traffic. This disrupted supplies for over 50 drivers stranded at previous landslide sites. By the afternoon of October 29th, the Ho Chi Minh Highway through Lo Xo Pass, connecting Quang Ngai to Da Nang City, remained closed for the fourth consecutive day. In Ngoc Linh commune (Quang Ngai province), five villages – Ngoc Nang, Mo Po, Xa Ua, Ngoc Lang, and Tu Rang – remain isolated due to landslides, causing significant hardship for residents. Authorities have opened a trail through the hill to provide access and supplies.

From the evening of October 28th, National Highway 20, specifically the section passing through D'ran Pass in Xuan Truong Ward, Da Lat (connecting Lam Dong and Khanh Hoa provinces), experienced continuous landslides, disrupting traffic. By the afternoon of October 29th, authorities continued to prohibit vehicles from passing through, diverting traffic via Prenn and Mimosa Passes (more than 20km away) to ensure safety.

Emergency aid of 350 billion VND allocated to Hue City, Quang Tri, and Quang Ngai.

On October 29, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired an urgent online meeting with several localities in Central Vietnam regarding the response to and recovery efforts following natural disasters, heavy rains, and floods.

Speaking at the meeting, the Prime Minister instructed local Party committees and authorities to use all means to provide supplies to people in areas severely flooded, isolated, and affected by landslides. Localities were instructed to review the situation and propose assistance with rice, food, and dried food if needed. Initially, the central government will immediately provide 2 tons of dried food to Hue City, and the 5th Military Region will transport it to people in deeply flooded and isolated areas. The Ministry of National Defense, the 5th Military Region, and the police force will deploy personnel and equipment such as boats and canoes for disaster prevention and control. The Prime Minister also requested plans to address the consequences and restore activities immediately after the flood recedes, especially classrooms, schools, and medical facilities, ensuring that children do not lack places to study, patients do not lack places to receive treatment, and people do not lack food, clothing, or suffer from hunger and poverty.

On the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed a decision to provide emergency support of 350 billion VND from the central government's contingency budget to Hue City, Quang Tri Province, and Quang Ngai Province to overcome the damage caused by floods and heavy rains.

On the morning of October 29th, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha inspected the work to mitigate the consequences of landslides that caused traffic congestion on the La Son - Hoa Lien expressway, specifically the section passing through Nam Dong commune, Hue City. The Deputy Prime Minister requested relevant units to review the design, materials, and structure of the project to ensure long-term safety along the entire expressway. Later that day, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha chaired an emergency meeting with leaders of Da Nang City. During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the highest priority is ensuring the absolute safety of people's lives. Local authorities must not be complacent or negligent, and must proactively prepare all response plans, especially in areas at risk of deep flooding and landslides; mobilizing the entire political system to respond to all natural disaster situations.

REPORTER TEAM

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/lu-chong-lu-kho-khan-chong-chat-post820696.html