Orders from the heart in the midst of flood season (part 2)

Part 2: Human love overcomes floods

The relief goods receiving point in front of Quy The motorbike shop (intersection of Nguyen Tat Thanh and Tran Hung Dao streets, Tuy Hoa ward) consists of only a makeshift roof made of faded canvas and a few hastily spread cardboard sheets. Yet for many days now, this simple place has become a "loving transit station" for dozens of tons of goods sent to the flooded areas of Eastern Dak Lak .

Having just finished a quick lunch box, hearing the truck stop, Mr. Dao Dang Cong Trung (born in 1979, from Da Nang ) and the group "Joining hands for the community" immediately ran out, handing over boxes of necessities. Another 5 tons of goods had just arrived; bringing the total amount of goods since the beginning of the flood to more than 45 tons. Instant noodles, medicine, gas stoves, rice cookers, water... all were the hearts of people everywhere turning to the flooded areas.

While he was loading the goods onto the truck, Ms. Nguyen Thi Truc Quyen (Phu Hoa 2 commune) timidly asked for a bag of necessities, then whispered to ask for an extra pack of sanitary napkins for herself and her daughter. Mr. Trung immediately rummaged through the bag, gave her two packs, a bottle of cleaning solution and some stomach pain medicine. “Save your strength to clean the house, okay?” he advised.

For 8 consecutive days, Trung has been staying in the Eastern Dak Lak region. During the day, he runs around delivering goods, and at night, he curls up in his car to watch over the goods. The fatigue is evident in his eyes, but he does not allow himself to stop.

Mr. Dao Dang Cong Trung participates in rescuing people in deeply flooded areas in the East of Dak Lak. Photo: H. My

Hearing that the area was severely damaged, on the evening of November 19, he and 5 other members immediately left Da Nang, bringing with them the “Wind God” canoe - the type that can go through low-lying power lines, and passages that are only wide enough for a boat’s bow. Before dawn, the group was already in Tuy An, rescuing people in low-lying areas.

In the afternoon of the same day, the group went to Hoa Thinh but the water was flowing strongly and the road was blocked. Unable to stand by and watch, they immediately changed direction and rushed to the flood center of Phuoc Khanh, Quy Hau, Ngoc Phuoc 1, Dong Phuoc. The wind was fierce, the water was stinging their faces, the fields were covered in white water, but the group still went. Those trips brought dozens of people to safety, including a pregnant woman in labor, a baby with a fever, an old woman with a cut on her hand from broken glass, etc. By the morning of November 22, the group reached the flood center of Hoa Thinh and continued to rescue people.

As the water gradually receded, from November 23, Trung's group switched to post-flood support: transporting food, drinks, and necessities to help people gradually stabilize their lives. A field kitchen was quickly set up with the Hoi An Charity Association, cooking more than 1,000 meals a day to send to people. At the same time, he continued to call for goods. 45 tons of goods were divided into small portions and delivered to each household. Where the water was still flooded, the group used canoes; where it was isolated, they dropped the goods by drone.

Few people would think that the man who is rushing into the water these days is a photographer, swimming coach, and director of a travel company. The income from his job could help him live a leisurely life, but he chose to throw himself into the most difficult moments of the community. In just 2 months of October and November 2025, he has gone through 3 rescue missions in Thai Nguyen - Bac Ninh, Da Nang and now Dak Lak.

On November 19, when the first floodwaters began to flow into Hoa My commune, Mr. Huynh Phuoc Giang (65 years old, in Phu Thuan village) still could not believe that this flood would be so fierce. In his memory, the historic flood in 1993 - considered "the most terrible in life" - only caused the water to reach up to his knees. However, this time, everything happened so quickly that it was frightening.

Just a few hours after the water hit the yard, the muddy flood swept through the garden, sweeping away furniture and rising steadily. Mr. Giang quickly carried his 90-year-old mother to a relative’s house for refuge. But when he returned, he was stunned: the water had reached the window, blocking all movement. His father, his wife, his daughter and his young grandchild had only one way out: to climb onto the roof!

Amid the freezing cold and the pitch-black night, the whole family clung to each other. They only had a few cartons of milk and a pack of instant noodles that they had quickly scooped up from the water. “That night, my father and I were shivering. There were moments of despair when I thought I might not make it,” Mr. Giang choked up, his eyes red as he recalled.

Rescuers brought people in the flooded area of Tuy Hoa ward to safety. Photo: H. My

Just as he and his wife began to think of the worst, a beam of light flashed in the rain in the distance. The sound of a motorboat echoed faintly in the howling wind. It was the boat of the Hoa My Commune Police and the Fire and Rescue Team of Area 10. When the boat approached the roof, Mr. Giang burst into tears like a child. 5 small people in the midst of the raging flood had been brought safely onto the boat.

From November 18 to 20, following the dispatch order of the Provincial Police, 22 officers and soldiers of the Fire Fighting and Rescue Team of Region 10 continuously rushed into the flood-prone areas of Hoa My and Hoa Thinh. During the hours when the water level was at its highest, they faced whirlpools, strong winds, and pouring rain. The canoe was sometimes pushed up by the waves, and sometimes tilted dangerously. But they still rushed forward, rescuing each person still trapped in the raging flood.

Lieutenant Colonel Huynh Khoa Truong (Firefighting and Rescue Team, Region 10) said: “There were times when the canoe was about to sink, but thinking of our fellow countrymen calling for help, we set off again. Each trip is a challenge, but responsibility and humanity always motivate us.”

At the same time, upon learning that floodwaters were rising too quickly in many places, more than 30 people from Ea Ly and Son Giang communes contacted each other and formed a spontaneous rescue team. None of them had experience rescuing people in floods; most of them were just drivers, fish farmers, and fishermen on the Krong H'Nang hydroelectric lake. However, when people continuously sent messages for help, no one hesitated. With 2 composite boats, 1 aluminum boat with a motor, and a few trucks carrying logistics, they rushed into the flooded area.

Mr. Ha Van Duy, a member of this rescue team, shared: “On the way to the rescue, there were times when the boat almost capsized in the fast water, sometimes the boat was punctured, we rowed and bailed water at the same time, knowing it was dangerous but still had to go. I still remember the day I brought a mother and her 15-day-old newborn baby from Chi Than village (Duc Binh commune) to safety; or the time I transported a pregnant woman about to give birth from Hoa Thinh commune to the hospital in Phu Thu (Tay Hoa commune) in the middle of the flood, the feeling of both worry and excitement was indescribable.”

Amidst the immense floodwaters, these ordinary people have become quiet bright spots. They do not consider themselves heroes, but with their courage and kindness, they have promptly extended a helping hand to many lives struggling in danger, keeping hope in the most fragile moments.

(continued)

Final episode: Give love, multiply strength

Ha My - Le Hao

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202511/menh-lenh-tu-trai-tim-giua-mua-lu-du-ky-2-f6d1e64/