Many people together transferred goods from the receiving point at the headquarters of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to trucks to transport to support people in flooded areas (photo taken on November 24) - Photo: NGOC KHAI
Amidst the myriad of difficulties after the flood, the urgent and intense atmosphere made the flood-prone area seem to be given a new source of vitality after the historic natural disaster.
"Where is the most serious, uncle?"
In recent days, the DT543 route connecting National Highway 1 through Tuy An to Dong Xuan and Tuy An Tay communes has always been filled with the rumbling sound of engines. For a week since the flood receded, from early morning to late afternoon, the sound of truck engines has been constant on this road. Convoys of trucks carrying relief goods have followed each other like a festival in the dust after the flood, becoming an unprecedented road of love.
These are two areas that suffered heavy damage in Phu Yen during the recent heavy rains. Dong Xuan commune has thousands of households flooded from 2 to 4 meters deep, water overflowed the railway and flowed into the villages like a hydroelectric reservoir. Tuy An Tay commune, which was merged from three old communes with terrain ranging from rice fields to hills over 170 meters high, not only suffered the same situation as Hoa Xuan but also had more than 50 households lose their homes due to landslides...
To reach the farthest mountainous village of Tuy An Tay, we turned from DT543 to follow the railway tunnel and passed through many winding hills. When we reached the farthest Vinh Xuan village of this commune, we encountered dozens of pickup trucks with license plates from the Northern and Southern provinces.
After reading the news, Ms. Le Tuyet Ngoc Trinh and a volunteer group in Vung Tau traveled to the site of the landslide that left 35 people homeless. Two trucks loaded with goods drove through the night to the central area at dawn.
"Accepting requests from benefactors, we chose the most difficult places where people have lost their homes to help. To reach the people in remote areas, the car has to move little by little. Sometimes we get lost and have to turn around for more than 30 minutes, but when we get here, seeing how miserable the people are, I feel like the group's hard work is nothing," she said.
Her volunteer group quickly carried more than 30 plastic boxes filled with personal items for the people who lost their homes. Ms. Trinh also personally handed out 500,000 VND to each household whose house had been destroyed in the landslide in the village. Every time the names of people whose houses had been damaged were read out, Ms. Trinh would tearfully hand the money over with a very low bow, causing many people to forget the feeling of being the giver.
On the mountain road leading to Dong Xuan, convoys of vehicles with red flags with yellow stars fluttered in the gray sky. The vehicles were big, the roads were small, and there were stretches of road so crowded that vehicles had to stop for dozens of minutes. Drivers raised their hands to greet each other or signaled directions. Strangers, but with the same heart for their fellow countrymen, felt as if they had always been close friends.
Each truck was packed with essential goods: rice still smelling fresh, instant noodles stacked in boxes, bottled water piled as high as the cabin, flashlights, rechargeable batteries, dry clothes, thin blankets, baby diapers, cold medicine, stomach ache medicine...
Many hamlets have dozens of vehicles gathered like in Tan Hoa. Volunteer groups share space from kindergartens, primary schools, and cultural houses to gather goods and distribute them to people.
People of Tuy An Tay commune ( Dak Lak province), formerly Phu Yen province, receive support from philanthropists - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG
"Go for it Phu Yen!"
Convoys of trucks still poured from all directions to Phu Yen with simple messages: "Come on, Phu Yen!", "Love you so much, Central Vietnam!", "To our fellow countrymen in the flood areas". Not only were the trucks delivering supplies, but they also conveyed the love of fellow countrymen from the countryside to the people.
Witnessing the simple houses in the flood area below the flood mark, Mr. Tran Tuan Phong, a member of a relief group from Hue City, said he has participated in volunteer activities for 10 years but has never seen such a terrible thing as this time. Partly because the people are too poor, the houses are simple, and partly because the water is too fierce.
He spoke on the spot, listening to people tell stories of villages flooded to the roof and having to stay out all night, he could not imagine the difficulty of facing natural disasters.
He shared this story with the relief groups during dinner. Volunteer groups from all over the provinces also told stories from each locality. The group from Quang Tri said they mobilized each neighborhood, each family contributed a few cans of rice and a kilo of meat to make banh chung.
The group from Gia Lai collected goods by hamlet and village and then bought instant noodles, milk, and water. Many pagodas, pickup truck clubs, backpacking clubs, women's associations, youth unions... everyone contributed a small part of their efforts to join hands with the volunteer groups.
"Someone in the Central Highlands said that many villages are not doing better than here, but hearing that people in the flood-affected areas are penniless, they pooled money to wrap cakes overnight to send home. I see the solidarity and unique identity of many places put into each package and gift bag," he said.
According to Mr. Phong, this is not only an immediate support but also the initial link connecting the understanding of the regions together. When he heard his brothers talk about the "voluntary activities for the whole people" originating from the hearts of the entire community in the ward groups, pagodas, and associations, he came up with an idea for the next volunteer program.
"Maybe I will call for connections and support for people who have nothing to rebuild after natural disasters. Like the twinning activities between localities, clubs also form this bond of friendship. Because the Central region has floods everywhere, the idea of mutual support will be useful," Mr. Phong came up with the idea.
After a week of water receding, we returned to many flooded areas and saw many houses filled with clothes and instant noodles. The necessities and essential goods have been temporarily provided for the people in the coming days.
Need help for people rebuilding long distance
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, a member of a volunteer group from Da Nang City who has been staying in Phu Yen for many days, said he has met many families who only had time to get their identity documents before the floodwaters swept them all away. Therefore, at this stage, the problem of supporting people is no longer a matter of food when they are hungry, but a story of long-term reconstruction.
"Seeing people with nothing, I don't know how they will rebuild their lives. We definitely have to do something more to help people escape suffering after the flood recedes," he said.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thien-nguyen-toan-dan-dong-xe-nghia-tinh-noi-dai-ve-ron-lu-phu-yen-20251129082913655.htm
Comment (0)