Messy scene of the broken dike on Luat Le river

According to SGGP Newspaper's reporter, on the morning of November 21, in the eastern region of Gia Lai province, the rain has stopped, floodwaters have gradually receded, leaving behind heavy damage to property and traffic infrastructure.

In Luat Le village (Tuy Phuoc commune), the flood has receded, and local people are gathering to count the damage. Many households returned to empty houses, with everything washed away and damaged.

The Luat Le River dike was broken about 10m long, 2.5m deep, nearly 4m wide.

Ms. Le Thi Thu Thanh (57 years old, Luat Le village) is still in shock after the big flood broke the dike on the night of November 18 and early morning of November 19.

“That night, it rained terribly, and the floodwaters rose very quickly. My family only had time to raise some of our belongings, but many things were still wet. At around 1 a.m., the rain poured down, I heard a loud explosion outside the dike, and then water rushed into the house. At that time, the whole family could only run, leaving all their belongings behind,” Ms. Thanh said.

Ms. Le Thi Thu Thanh was shocked to tell about the flood on the night of November 18 and early morning of November 19.

Mud buried gardens and houses in the lower reaches of Luat Le River.

After the flood receded, Ms. Thanh’s house was empty, many of her belongings and livestock were swept away. “My two cows are gone. My property and belongings are damaged or washed away. Now there is no food or water left, I don’t know how I will survive in the coming days…”, Ms. Thanh choked.

Since the morning of November 21, when the water receded, people trapped in the area of the Luat Le River dike breach have begun to go out to receive food and essential supplies. Many support vehicles carrying food and provisions from all over have been dispatched to supply the people.

People in areas cut off by the Luat Le river dike break go out to receive food supplies.

Overcoming dangerous landslides to get food and necessities

Many households said they had to survive in the flood area over the past few days. Some were lucky enough to receive boxed lunches, but others had to eat raw instant noodles to stave off hunger.

Mr. Ngo Vinh Khanh, Head of the Irrigation Sub-Department under the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Gia Lai province, said that specialized forces are approaching the scene of the dike break. Initial information shows that the broken dike section is about 10m long, with no human casualties recorded.

Scene of the broken dike section of Luat Le river

The great pressure of the flood caused the Luat Le river dike to break on the night of November 19.

Currently, the forces are focusing on calculating the damage and organizing the supply of necessities to people in the isolated area. "The initial cause may be that the flood pressure is too great for the dike to withstand. We are checking the scene and waiting for the water to recede completely to find a solution," Mr. Khanh informed.

>>>Some images recorded by SGGP Newspaper reporters at the scene: