Quang Ngai quickly overcomes damage after storm No. 13

The devastated coastal villages after the storm

According to a quick report from the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province, as of November 7, the entire province had 3 people missing in Ly Son special zone, 3 people injured and many houses damaged, roofs blown off, walls collapsed... Heavy rain, strong winds and high tides also caused landslides and flooding in many coastal and mountainous communes.

Many coastal villages in Quang Ngai were devastated after the storm. Photo: AP

In Long Phung commune, a strong tornado occurred on the evening of November 6, causing 45 houses to have their roofs blown off; on the village roads, tiles were broken, electric poles fell, and corrugated iron roofs were scattered everywhere. Mr. Le Dien (63 years old, My Khanh village) said that around dusk, when the rain started to get heavy, the wind blew up very quickly, whistling continuously, and tossed on the tiled roofs. "Looking outside, the wind had knocked down many trees lying around, and corrugated iron roofs were flying everywhere. Fearing that the house walls would collapse, the whole family had to hide in the kitchen. When I stepped outside, the entire front roof of my house had been swept away by the storm," he recounted.

Not only houses, the coastal road of more than 230m in Long Phung commune was also destroyed by waves, many sections were left with gaps and cracked concrete. Mr. Ngo Van Thanh, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said: The heavy landslide has seriously affected travel and transportation of goods. The government has set up temporary barriers and requested the province to provide urgent support to fix the problem.

In Tinh Khe commune, the high tide damaged 157 houses, of which An Vinh village was the most severely damaged with 95 houses damaged; the entire dike line to respond to climate change was eroded nearly 30m. Standing next to the ruined wall of her house, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan (42 years old, An Vinh village) choked up: when I heard the forecast of the storm, I did not think the destruction would be so great. The big waves like sledgehammers hit the shore, the strong wind caused the foundation of my house to erode, the back part collapsed completely. Many houses in the village were also severely damaged.

The sea embankment in Duc Loi village (Long Phung commune) was eroded by high tide.

The scene in Sa Huynh ward was also desolate and devastated after the storm "swept" through with more than 200 houses submerged in water, 20 houses with their roofs blown off, 15 coastal shops collapsed; the breakwater of Thach By 2 was buried for more than 200m. Mr. Ho To, a resident of Chau Me group, shared: Last night we were evacuated by the government. When we returned this morning, our house and belongings were gone. I have lived here for decades, through many storms, but I have never seen such a fierce tide.

In Ly Son Special Zone, big waves damaged 7km of embankment around the island, damaging many other infrastructure works; the concrete of the fishing port was peeled off, two fishing boats drifted ashore. In addition, in Ly Son, 3 people went missing while using a basket boat to rescue people in distress. By the afternoon of November 7, Division 372 (Air Defense - Air Force) had dispatched helicopters to this area to search for the victims. Mr. Nguyen Van Huy, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ly Son Special Zone, said: "As soon as we received the news, we coordinated with the border guards and the army to search for the victims; at the same time, we inspected the entire system of dykes, embankments, and fishing ports to assess the damage and make initial repairs."

Efforts to help people rebuild their houses and stabilize their lives soon

Immediately after the storm passed, the Quang Ngai provincial government mobilized all its forces to help people overcome the consequences. Colonel Trinh Cong Son, Deputy Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command, said: On the morning of November 7, we sent 200 officers and soldiers to localities that suffered heavy damage. First of all, we focused on helping people rebuild their roofs, clean up materials and fallen trees to stabilize their lives soon. The goal is to complete the roofing of all houses that were blown off within the day.

Soldiers help people re-roof their houses after they were blown away by the storm.

In Long Phung commune, more than 50 officers and soldiers of the Provincial Military Command's shock troops and local militia arrived early to help re-roof dozens of households. Major Tieu Van Luat, Propaganda Department ( Political Department of the Provincial Military Command) said that the working groups were spread out throughout the village, working continuously from morning to afternoon. Mr. Nguyen Tan Loc, a resident of Vinh Phu village, emotionally said: Thanks to the soldiers who came to help re-roof, my family has a place to stay overnight. We are very grateful.

In Tinh Khe commune, hundreds of police officers, border guards, and youth union members divided into many groups to support the people. Mr. Pham Quoc Vuong, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, informed that storm No. 13 caused nearly 100 houses to collapse, roofs to be blown off, and two people to be injured. Immediately after the storm, the commune mobilized all forces to An Ky and An Vinh villages to clean up, dismantle collapsed houses, re-roof washed away roofs, and at the same time coordinate with the environmental company to clean up trash, level sand to clear the roads. In the immediate future, we focus on ensuring the minimum living conditions for the people, in the long term we hope to invest in solid embankments to protect coastal residential areas.

In Ly Son Special Zone, police, military, border guards and local people cleared rocks, fallen trees, and leveled landslides. Many silted roads were cleared, creating conditions for motor vehicles and relief goods to enter and exit. On November 7, many road sections and embankments along the coastal villages of Quang Ngai were also basically cleared, some residential areas had their electricity restored, and households were supported with temporary roofing and immediate necessities; damage statistics, environmental treatment, traffic restoration; all resources were focused on ensuring people had temporary shelter, early production recovery, and stable lives after the storm.

At the same time, the electricity sector is also urgently implementing the work of restoring power supply to areas heavily affected by storm No. 13. The goal in the next 3 days is to basically restore the entire power grid in the Central Highlands.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/quang-ngai-nhanh-chong-khac-phuc-thiet-hai-sau-bao-so-13-10394925.html