Nha Trang residents haunted by historic flood, forced to hold life jackets on rooftops waiting to be rescued

CLIP : Military forces rescue an elderly man and his relatives stuck on the roof of a house in West Nha Trang during floods (source: Xuan Ngoc):

On the morning of November 21, in Khanh Hoa province, floodwaters have gradually receded but widespread flooding remains. Authorities continue to mobilize manpower and vehicles to bring people trapped in the flood to safety. Many people and relief groups are also urgently mobilizing necessities, water and vehicles of all kinds to support isolated people.

Having just been rescued and taken to a temporary shelter after many hours of being stuck, Mr. Cao Van Toan (61 years old, Tay Nha Trang ward) is still shocked by the speed of the flood. "I have never seen a flood as fast and big as that in Nha Trang," said Mr. Toan.

The floodwaters were so deep that Mr. Cao Van Toan had to go up to the roof and hold a life jacket while waiting to be rescued. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

At around 6pm on November 19, it was pouring rain. Mr. Toan was sitting in his house when he saw floodwaters coming in. The electricity was out and it was pitch dark. His children were in Ho Chi Minh City, living alone in a house with a mezzanine, so he put some of his belongings up high. After a while, the water rose above his knees, and then the muddy floodwaters rushed in, completely isolating the residential area.

Mr. Toan only had time to grab a life jacket, some dry food, then went up to the mezzanine, then the metal roof. He recalled that that night, the water flooded the mezzanine, so he tried to get to a higher position. All night, he was soaked and shivering on the metal roof because of the cold. He hugged his life jacket, when he was hungry, he chewed on some dry food and did not dare to sleep, but sat watching the flood, waiting for a rescue team to pass by to call for help.

By the afternoon of November 20, the rain had not stopped. On the tin roof, he saw many people isolated. The floodwaters were still deep, making Mr. Toan’s hope of being reached by the rescue team even more fragile.

Luckily, at this time, a rescue team passed by and discovered him and brought him to safety.

Vo Dinh Tri's family was rescued after many hours of being isolated in the flood. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

At Ngoc Hoi intersection, Tay Nha Trang ward, 6 members of Vo Dinh Tri's family (32 years old) were soaked and tired after more than a night stuck in the flood on Cau Dua Phu Nong street, Tay Nha Trang ward. After receiving necessities from the authorities, his family got in a car to take temporary shelter at a relative's house in Nam Nha Trang ward.

Mr. Tri recounted that on the evening of November 19, water flooded into his house, initially about 20cm deep. However, after only a few dozen minutes, the water had risen to more than 1m. Outside, it was pouring rain.

Mr. Tri was worried that the flood would continue to rise, while his house had no high ground to shelter, so he took his whole family, some belongings and food, to a neighbor's house that was two stories high. At that time, there were more than 10 people staying in the house. That night, the water rose to 3 meters high, almost reaching the roof of Mr. Tri's house.

Mr. Tri shared that nearly 20 people were taking shelter from the flood in a two-story house, sharing food and water, giving priority to children and the elderly. In the second-floor rooms, most people did not dare to sleep because of worry and panic as the floodwaters had not receded and they could not contact the outside world by phone.

Luckily, by the afternoon of November 20, the rescue team discovered and prioritized bringing out families with elderly people and children, including Mr. Tri's family.

For Mr. Tri, this was a terrible flood, never seen before in Nha Trang. Before that, he and his wife thought their house would be flooded so they raised their furniture high but they did not expect the water to rise so quickly and to be so deep. Now the house and furniture are flooded, waterlogged, and most likely damaged, "but luckily the people are still alive, that's happiness" - Mr. Tri said.

Ms. Le Thi Dan is worried because she has not been able to contact her three daughters who are stuck in the flood. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

Meanwhile, Ms. Le Thi Dan (46 years old) is restless because she has not been able to contact her three daughters (8, 11, 24 years old). After reporting to the authorities for help in rescuing her three trapped children, she continuously met with local officials to ask about the rescue work.

Mrs. Dan works at a restaurant. She and her four children rent a 20m² room with a mezzanine in an alley on Luong Dinh Cua Street, Tay Nha Trang Ward. On the afternoon of November 19, while she was at work, she heard her eldest daughter report that water had flooded the room. The mother told her children to move their belongings up high.

However, the floodwaters came quickly, and by evening, the area where she rented a room was deeply flooded. She could not return to her room, nor could she contact her children by phone. The mother called many places for help in a state of panic and anxiety.

Heavy rains caused deep flooding in many places in Tay Nha Trang ward. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

In a low voice, Mrs. Dan said that the place where the four of them rented a room was quite low, near the Phu Kieng wooden bridge on the Cai River in Nha Trang. Every time there was a long, heavy rain, this place often got flooded in the front.

The mother was worried, the floodwaters must have reached the roof of the boarding house. Temporarily staying at Ngoc Hoi intersection, where authorities set up two makeshift tents for people to take shelter, and also as a place to gather food and rescue equipment, Mrs. Dan was constantly worried: "I don't know where my children are, I just hope they are safe."

People reported to authorities to find relatives they could not contact due to being trapped in the flood. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

In Khanh Hoa, since November 16, 54 communes and wards with 162 locations have been flooded. Many residential areas are deeply flooded, thousands of people are still isolated by the flood. Statistics for the whole province show that up to now, 14 people have died; about 9,000 houses have been flooded and damaged.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nguoi-dan-nha-trang-am-anh-lu-lich-su-phai-om-ao-phao-tren-noc-nha-cho-duoc-cuu-2464956.html