People in Western Nghe An spent the night climbing the mountain to find a place to avoid the flood, local forces held an urgent meeting in the middle of the night, braved the rain to evacuate people.

At more than 1:00 a.m. on July 23, we continued to receive reports from people in many communes and villages in the West about their fear of being submerged by floodwaters, along with information that hundreds of households had abandoned their homes and fled to the mountains to seek shelter and protect their lives as the water continued to rise rapidly.

At 11 p.m. on July 22, Secretary of the Muong Xen Commune Party Committee Nguyen Viet Hung said that he and the commune's officials and functional forces were still taking shelter from the rain at a resident's house near the commune People's Committee headquarters.

“The river water kept rising and by 11pm, the area in front of the entrance to the Muong Xen Commune People's Committee was flooded up to the heads of adults. We could not enter the headquarters or go anywhere else because the surrounding area was deeply flooded. The entire central area of the commune had no electricity,” said Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung - Secretary of the Party Committee of Muong Xen commune and forces and people fight floods on the night of July 22. Photo: CSCC

Not far away, deeply flooded households are also abandoning their homes, bringing only a few personal belongings to the Political Center headquarters for shelter.

Mr. Kha Hai Thanh in Block 1, Muong Xen Commune, nearly 80 years old, just came to stay at the Political Center and said: “I have never experienced a flood like this one. My house was flooded up to the roof and was about to collapse, so the whole family had to go to school to stay. The flood came so fast, no one had time to react.”

The center of Muong Xen commune is submerged in water. Photo: Dao Tho

At midnight last night, many people in Block 5, Muong Xen Commune, although their houses were located on high ground, water began to flood into their houses. Most people were panicked and scared but could do nothing. They used their smartphones to live stream the rising water, helplessly watching as the water gradually submerged everything.

Muong Xen residents call for help on the night of July 22. Screenshot

In Tuong Duong commune, the People's Committee held an urgent meeting in the middle of the night to find a solution and direct villages to respond most effectively in the context that many people have begun to abandon their homes to run up the mountains, looking for high places to avoid the flood.

Secretary of the Party Committee of Tuong Duong Commune Le Van Luong and working groups directed support for people to evacuate at night. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Authorities assist households in Hoa Bac block to evacuate to avoid floods. Photo: Dinh Tuan

After the meeting, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tuong Duong Commune, Le Van Luong, and other forces went directly to the villages, dividing into many working groups to support the evacuation of people. During the night, Tuong Duong Commune evacuated households in flooded areas in Hoa Bac and Hoa Dong blocks.

People in Yen Na commune evacuated to the primary school to avoid floods on the night of July 22. Photo: CSCC

As the night wore on, along with heavy rain, the river water rose higher and higher, sections of National Highway 7 through communes from Con Cuong to Tam Quang and Muong Xen were gradually submerged in water. Some sections were flooded about 2m deep. At the hard bridge over the Nam Mo River leading to the Cua Rao Temple in Tuong Duong Commune, the bridge was flooded and swept away during the night.

At 11:30 p.m. on July 22, according to information from Yen Na commune officials, local forces carried out an emergency evacuation order for households in the Ve village area, arranging for 120 households to evacuate to a safe place and take temporary shelter at the primary school.

Also at this time, on Highway 7, people crowded on the road in high places, not daring to stay in their houses for fear of flood water rising; the rushing water would sweep them away.

Con Cuong commune authorities waded through the night to help people ensure safety during the flood on the night of July 22. Photo: CSCC

Similarly, after midnight, Con Cuong commune forces also braved the rain to help households move their belongings and evacuate to higher, safer places.

In Tam Thai commune, late at night, the water on Lam River and streams in the area rose, causing a risk of flooding some households in Lung, Canh Trap, and Cay Me villages.
Following the direction of superiors, functional forces and the Commune Police urgently evacuated 15 households and 65 people at high risk in Lung, Canh Trap and Cay Me villages to a safe place. The forces continued to be on duty all night, checking, and readying forces and means to support people when necessary.

People of Tuong Duong commune flee from flood on the night of July 22. Clip: Dinh Tuan

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