Fearing that their boats would sink, fishermen stayed up all night to watch for the flood.

(Dan Tri) - When the flood comes, households in the fishing village at the foot of Yen Xuan bridge ( Nghe An ) have to stay up all night, afraid that their boats will sink.

On September 24, in Nghe An, the rain had stopped, but the water from upstream poured in, making the Lam River muddy and turbulent. The small boat of Ms. Pham Thi Hoa's family (42 years old, fishing village, Xuan Lam commune, Hung Nguyen, Nghe An), although tied and anchored to stakes and stone pillars, still swayed with the current. Normally, Ms. Hoa and her husband and her son's family take shelter on the boat. During the rainy and flooded days, the small hut of her husband's brother's family on the alluvial land was flooded up to the roof, so the whole family pulled onto Ms. Hoa's boat to escape the flood. As a result, the boat "carried" 11 people, including children and adults.

Floodwaters reached half of the temporary house, and Ms. Hoa's brother-in-law's family had to get on a boat to "escape the flood" (Photo: Hoang Tung).

Ms. Hoa sadly said: "It has been raining heavily for the past 3-4 days, the adults in the family did not dare to sleep, stayed up all night to watch the flood and took turns bailing out the water in the boat. In 2016, affected by storm No. 2, my family's boat sank, luckily no one was hurt. This boat was supported by organizations and individuals, it is both a shelter and a means of livelihood, if it sank, we would not know where to cling to". Living next to Ms. Hoa's family's boat is the family of Ms. Pham Thi Ha (54 years old). The boat is small but is home to 8 people of 3 generations. Ms. Ha sat with her knees drawn up, looking out at the vast river, the water was murky. Ms. Ha's husband was lying in the boat, covered with a blanket, groaning. "He has been awake for several nights to watch the flood. It's raining heavily, the flood is rising quickly, the boat is too old so it's covered with a tarpaulin, but water still comes in and we have to bail it out. I don't know if it's the flood water or something that bit him, but his eyes are swollen and he has a fever, but we haven't been able to take him to the hospital yet," Mrs. Ha said sadly.

Mrs. Ha on her family's small boat (Photo: Hoang Tung).

For the family of Ms. Pham Thi Thuy (35 years old), the flood season is not only a worry about the boat sinking, but also the pain and obsession of losing a loved one. Ms. Thuy's family has been fishing for generations. The Lam River is where the whole family makes a living, making ends meet with shrimp and fish. But when the flood season comes, the water suddenly becomes fierce, ready to drown those who have clung to it all their lives. "In 2021, also during the flood season, my father-in-law's boat capsized. He was a good swimmer, a river dweller, but the boat capsized, the waves were big, the wind was strong, he could not overcome fate. Not long after, my younger brother's nephew, only 18 months old, fell from the boat and also drowned on this part of the river," Ms. Thuy said, her face pale from the rainy days and sleepless nights. After consecutive disasters, the haunting flood season stuck to Ms. Thuy's and her husband's minds. She worried about her 3 young children, not knowing where to send them, just hoping the flood would recede quickly.

Although carefully covered, the boats cannot block the water that splashes in during heavy rain (Photo: Hoang Tung).

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phan, Chairman of Xuan Lam Commune People's Committee, the "fishing village" at the foot of Yen Xuan bridge is originally from Quang Binh , anchored and earned a living here since the 60s of the last century. The next generation follows the previous generation, living by fishing. Currently, there are 13 households living on boats at the foot of the bridge. In recent years, thanks to the attention of all levels, sectors, local authorities and support policies, children of the fishing village have been able to go ashore to go to school. "Among the 13 households, some have built houses on the shore or have brothers and relatives living on the shore. During the rainy season, these households move ashore or take refuge with their brothers and sisters. As for 6 households with 26 people, the commune has an evacuation plan to the commune People's Committee headquarters; directing cadres to regularly check, propagate and mobilize people to evacuate when safety is not guaranteed", Mr. Phan informed. To ensure the safety of households in the fishing village, especially during rainy and flood days, according to Mr. Phan, it is necessary to plan a resettlement area to bring households ashore. The local government has proposed this issue to superiors and is awaiting consideration.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/so-thuyen-chim-dan-van-chai-thuc-trang-dem-canh-lu-20240924133958289.htm