Landslides lurk, many people in Yen Bai cannot return home

Due to the impact of storm No. 3, hundreds of landslides appeared in Yen Bai city, threatening people's lives and property.

An area at risk of landslides in Yen Bai city. Photo: Tran Bui

According to statistics and reviews by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Yen Bai province, up to now, in Yen Bai city, there are 145 areas that have been eroded and are at risk of being eroded, affecting 4,419 households, including 2,514 households in high-risk areas and 1,905 households in areas at risk of being eroded. In particular, Minh Bao commune is a "hot spot" with 17 areas that have been eroded and are at risk of being eroded, affecting 248 households (112 households have been eroded, 136 households are at risk of being eroded). Previously, flash floods occurred in Bao Tan village, causing houses to collapse, killing 4 people in the family. Standing in front of her house - an asset accumulated for nearly 20 years at risk of landslides, Ms. Pham Thi Hai (Truc Binh village, Minh Bao commune) worriedly said: "My husband and I got married when we had nothing in hand, saving little by little, until 2005 when we started building the first main house, then the other rooms were built, this is not only an asset but also many memories from the difficult times".

Ms. Pham Thi Hai worriedly looked at her house at risk of being buried by rocks and soil. Photo: Tran Bui

The woman recalled the terrifying night of September 9, during the heavy rain, the sound of falling rocks mixed with shouts. "At around 9 p.m., the water started to rise, my husband checked the slope behind and saw the soil starting to slide down in small pieces, the whole family didn't have time to think and quickly evacuated during the night," Ms. Hai recounted. Luckily, the house on high ground was not flooded, the next morning, the slope subsided, Ms. Hai's family asked relatives to come over to help move things to safety. "The slope behind the house is gradually eroding, so my family still has to stay at home and doesn't dare to go home yet," Ms. Hai said.

Landslide area behind Ms. Hai's house. Photo: Tran Bui

After many days of staying away from the storm, Ms. Hai's neighbor, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lieu, began to return home. She thought she could clean up her house and stabilize her life, but her family had to move because they were at risk of landslides. Pointing to the part of the rock and soil that had just collapsed, revealing a stretch of land dozens of meters high, Ms. Lieu confided: "It's heartbreaking that my house is at risk of being buried by rock and soil, all the savings I've saved over the years have gone down the drain. Although I'm sad that I can't return to my house, I'm still luckier than other families who have lost their homes, people, and serious property."

A woman sadly looks at many collapsed houses after the storm and flood. Photo: Vu Bao

According to Lao Dong's records on September 18, there are many landslide-prone areas in Yen Bai city. Typically, in Van Phu commune, there are 27 areas that have collapsed and are at risk of landslides, affecting 91 households; Tan Thinh commune has 15 areas that have collapsed and are at risk of landslides, affecting 919 households; Yen Ninh ward has 16 areas that have collapsed and are at risk of landslides, affecting 922 households; Dong Tam ward has 16 areas that have collapsed and are at risk of landslides, affecting 770 households; Minh Tan ward has 5 areas that have collapsed and are at risk of landslides, affecting 658 households. In particular, some areas with steep terrain, combined with heavy and prolonged rainfall, make soil and rocks easily move. Many hills are "full" of water, there is a risk of continued landslides, so people have to evacuate urgently even though they really want to stay in their homes. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Truc, Chairman of Yen Bai City People's Committee, said that currently in the city there are many places that continue to have landslides and are at risk of new landslides. In these places, the locality continues to propagate that people need to quickly evacuate to a safe place. For households that do not evacuate, the authorities are forced to do so.

Laodong.vn

Source: https://laodong.vn/xa-hoi/sat-lo-rinh-rap-nhieu-nguoi-yen-bai-chua-the-ve-nha-1394624.ldo