A sleepless night fleeing the flood in Soc Son.

On the night of October 9-10, in response to the rising floodwaters on the Cau River exceeding alarm level III, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh personally visited Trung Gia and Da Phuc communes in Hanoi, where many areas were deeply flooded due to rising water levels and some dikes were under threat, to direct the response and recovery efforts to protect the lives of the people.

Accompanying the Prime Minister were Comrade Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Hanoi City Party Committee; General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army; and representatives from central and local ministries and agencies.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh personally inspected the dike system in Trung Gia commune, Hanoi.

Trung Gia and Da Phuc communes, formerly part of Soc Son district, are located near the Cau and Ca Lo rivers. In recent days, the heavy rains following Typhoon No. 11 have caused widespread flooding and seriously threatened several dikes in the area. According to the Da Phuc Commune People's Committee, due to the impact of Typhoon No. 11, the water levels of the Cau and Ca Lo rivers rose above alarm level III, causing dike failures in the commune, including upstream slope erosion at K17+700 and K8+270 on the left bank of the Ca Lo River. In particular, a level III dike overflow occurred at K18+500 - K26+00 on the right bank of the Cau River, spanning 7.5 km (the water level overflowing from the dike surface ranged from 0.01 m to 0.30 m). In addition, more than 1,511 houses and households outside the main dike of level III were flooded and had to be relocated, corresponding to more than 6,500 people who had to be moved and evacuated to safe locations.

The Cau River's floodwaters rose above alarm level III, causing flooding in many areas of the former Soc Son district of Hanoi.

Immediately after discovering the dike breach, the Civil Defense Command of Da Phuc commune promptly organized the handling of the incident from the very beginning with the "four on-the-spot" principle to ensure the safety of the structure, lives, and property of the people. Regarding the level III dike overflow incident at position K18+500 - K26+00 on the right bank of the Cau River, Da Phuc commune mobilized more than 10,000 people to patrol and guard the dike and handle the dike breach. All forces remained at the scene, divided into seven "on-duty" areas working day and night to handle the incident; at the same time, the commune government promptly provided essential supplies to the forces on duty and the people in the flooded area.

The raging floodwaters have damaged a section of the Hanoi- Thai Nguyen railway line.

However, due to the continuing rise and strong currents of floodwaters, the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen railway line passing through Da Phuc and Trung Gia communes was completely paralyzed on the afternoon of October 9th, leaving the track exposed. According to the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen Railway Joint Stock Company, the incident occurred at kilometer marker 17, where floodwaters submerged and eroded the railway track's foundation over a length of 700m to approximately 1km, leaving only the tracks above. The longest eroded section was about 35-40m, while the other two sections had approximately 15m of the foundation beneath the tracks eroded. Floodwaters also washed the roadbed down to a depth of about 3-4m.

The Prime Minister has instructed that the focus should be on dike reinforcement, prioritizing the safety of people's lives above all else.

During his on-site inspection, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that these are critical areas and requested Hanoi City to coordinate with relevant ministries, agencies, and units to closely monitor the flood situation and develop appropriate response plans, including considering the worst-case scenario, to proactively evacuate people to safe areas and prepare for the response with the spirit of ensuring the safety and lives of the people above all else.

The Prime Minister personally supervised the response to the rising floodwaters on the Cau River at the scene.

The Prime Minister emphasized that there must be absolutely no complacency or negligence, and that preparations must be made with vehicles, personnel, especially the military, as well as housing for the people and necessary supplies to relocate and evacuate people when needed. At the scene, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called and instructed Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep to report on the flood situation on the rivers, and requested relevant agencies to closely monitor rainfall and water levels on the rivers to flexibly and appropriately regulate water levels in reservoirs and dams, avoiding dike breaches downstream.

Rising floodwaters have submerged several sections of the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen expressway.

Residents and authorities in Da Phuc commune are adding sandbags to cope with water overflowing the dike.

Police officers are assisting residents in the deeply flooded area of ​​Trung Gia commune in relocating their belongings.

Visiting to encourage the forces on duty protecting the dike during the night, the Prime Minister thanked the officers and soldiers for working through the night with the highest sense of responsibility and urgency; he requested that the forces assign tasks rationally, adopt the most scientific and effective methods, and promptly detect, respond to, and remedy even the smallest incidents as soon as they occur.

Authorities are assisting residents in deeply flooded areas of Soc Son to evacuate to safety.

Military personnel were deployed to Soc Son to respond to the dike breach and assist the local population.

Visiting and encouraging the local people, the Prime Minister shared his sympathy for their difficulties and losses, hoping that they would always unite and support each other, and if floods occur, they should strictly follow the instructions of the authorities, prioritizing relief for the elderly, children, and pregnant women. He also requested Hanoi City and relevant agencies to study long-term, fundamental solutions for the dikes, as the river water level has now exceeded historical flood peaks.

NGUYEN QUOC

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/trang-dem-chay-lu-o-soc-son-post817222.html