Efforts to overcome storm and flood consequences, welcome students back to school

The flash flood caused by storm No. 10 on the night of September 29 caused heavy damage to Mo Vang Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities (PTDTBT) (Mo Vang Commune). Many newly built classrooms and dormitories were submerged in mud and water, the fences collapsed, books and teaching equipment were swept away by the flood. Overcoming the difficulties, the school has urgently implemented remedial measures to welcome students back to class on Monday (October 6), ensuring the progress of the educational program.

Teacher Tran Thi Yen - Vice Principal of the school emotionally recounted: From morning until 11pm of the same day, heavy rain continuously poured down on the commune, the water of Thip stream, Ngoi Thia stream and surrounding streams rose, carrying mud, trees and everything in its path. When the water receded, the school yard was left with only thick layers of mud, warped doors, wet electrical systems, messy bookcases, and severely damaged teaching materials.

The biggest luck was that there were no human casualties. The entire school with 25 staff, teachers, employees and 152 students were safely evacuated thanks to the pre-deployed natural disaster prevention plan. However, the damage to facilities and equipment was extremely heavy.

Forces support teachers clean up after the flood.

The school library was badly damaged.

The classroom block, which included two regular classrooms and three departmental classrooms, was severely damaged, including one that had not yet been officially handed over and had both its door and electrical system broken. The library was almost completely lost, with all textbooks and reference materials, estimated at 5,000, submerged in floodwater and mud. The administrative block, which was awaiting handover, had its door and electrical system broken.

More seriously, a multi-purpose building and 11 garages collapsed, about 250m of fence was buried (of which 100m has not been officially handed over). Fire protection system, medical equipment, supplies for boarding students, Team equipment and many teaching equipment were all damaged or lost.

Total damage, including teachers' and students' belongings and property, is estimated at over 2.9 billion VND.

After the flood subsided, the school's Board of Directors coordinated with the commune government, military forces, militia, parents and local people to quickly inspect and assess the damage.

From September 30th until now, 70 soldiers of Regiment 254, together with cadres, civil servants, communal officials, parents and people have urgently cleaned up, cleared mud, dredged sewers, collected garbage and cleaned the school campus.

Thanks to the timely and drastic intervention, many classrooms were cleaned and restored in a short time. Work to ensure electrical safety, door systems and infrastructure was prioritized. The Mo Vang Commune Health Station also disinfected the entire school campus.

To ensure safety, the school has temporarily suspended classes from September 30 until the basic facilities are repaired. The Board of Directors has also prepared a budget and reported to superiors to request financial support for repairing and restoring teaching equipment and damaged items.

Teachers clean the classroom.

Mr. Le Ma Luong - Principal of the school choked up when looking at the classrooms flooded with mud. "Over the past few days, we have been working tirelessly, just hoping to clean up and repair the school soon so that students can return to school. Despite the great loss, fortunately no one was injured. The school will welcome students back on Monday, October 6," Mr. Luong shared, his voice full of determination.

Regarding the curriculum, the Board of Directors proposed to organize make-up classes but must balance to avoid overloading teachers and students. Classes that have lost materials will be given priority to be re-equipped with essential books and notebooks; for boarding students, the school proposed to support blankets, mattresses, and personal belongings to ensure living conditions. The library that was completely damaged is also being cataloged for restoration, with priority given to textbooks and reference materials for teaching.

In the report sent to superiors and local authorities, the school proposed support in the following order: rice, dry food, daily necessities for students; blankets, mattresses for boarding students; materials, equipment for teaching and repairing facilities. At the same time, we recommend that the locality strengthen the direction of disaster prevention and control work at educational institutions, and soon have plans to reinforce and relocate high-risk structures to ensure long-term safety for teachers and students.

Mr. Le Ma Luong - Principal of Mo Vang Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities

The forces and teachers cleaned up

Although there is still much to do, with the spirit of solidarity of the school, the government and the people, Mo Vang Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities believes that it will soon overcome difficulties and stabilize teaching and learning. Timely support from authorities at all levels, the armed forces and the community is an important resource for the school to restore and continue its mission of nurturing knowledge for students in the highlands.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/no-luc-khac-phuc-hau-qua-bao-lu-don-hoc-sinh-tro-lai-truong-post883600.html