Son La: Rain floods roads, water overflows into hospitals

Clip of flood water entering Thao Nguyen General Hospital in Son La province

This morning, October 6, the circulation after storm No. 11 caused two large cloud pockets covering the entire North (except Hanoi and some provinces in the Northern Delta).

These thunderstorms caused heavy rain and lightning in the following areas: Lang Son , Northern Thai Nguyen, Son La, Southern Phu Tho, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Northern Nghe An.

Heavy rain in Van Son ward (Son La province) this morning, October 6. Photo: CHUYEN QUY

According to meteorological experts, the focus of the area of strong converging rain is concentrated in South Phu Tho, Son La, Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa (common rainfall is 50-150mm, some places exceed 200mm and there is no sign of decreasing in the next few hours).

In Son La province, heavy rain since early this morning has caused many roads to be deeply flooded, especially in Van Son ward and Moc Chau ward (especially Moc Chau farm area). The pouring rain caused the rainwater to rise and overflow into Moc Chau General Hospital.

Flooded streets in Van Son ward (Son La province) when a thunderstorm swept through.

At Thao Nguyen General Hospital (Thao Nguyen ward), many areas in the campus were flooded, forcing local forces to use sandbags, wooden boards and temporary objects to block the flow, limiting water from overflowing into the treatment area.

Along with that, the road leading to the hospital was deeply flooded, in some places the water flowed rapidly, sweeping away many belongings and properties.

As soon as water was discovered flooding the hospital, hospital staff quickly evacuated and moved patients and medical equipment to safety.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Van, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thao Nguyen Ward, currently, there is continued heavy rain in the ward, so the local government is mobilizing forces to urgently overcome the situation, support people to move their assets to a safe place, and at the same time propagate and advise people not to be subjective about the weather developments.

Rainwater flows in alleys and lanes in Son La province

Heavy rains have also seriously affected many other localities such as Bac Yen, Thuan Chau, Song Ma, Quynh Nhai, Yen Chau, Muong La, Van Ho, Sop Cop... Many roads have been eroded, deeply flooded, traffic is partially cut off, making it very difficult for people to travel.

On Highway 6, traffic was difficult, many households had water entering their houses. On Highway 279D, there were local landslides, disrupting traffic.

Local authorities are implementing measures to clear sewers and assist people in moving their belongings to safety.

Updated to noon on October 6 from Vrain data, rainfall in Son La province reached 126mm. Son La province's Hydrometeorological Station warned of a very high risk of flash floods and landslides.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts that storm No. 11's circulation may cause heavy rain lasting until October 7, extending to the northern Nghe An region.

People in areas warned of floods should limit their movement during this time and should proactively evacuate their belongings to higher ground if they live in low-lying areas.