Staying up all night to help people cope with storms and floods

Storm No. 13 and the fierce floods caused severe damage, depriving thousands of households of their livelihoods. Despite the danger, thousands of officers and soldiers of the provincial armed forces quickly mobilized to the areas that suffered heavy damage; participating in coordination with local authorities to support people in overcoming the consequences.

Storm No. 13 made landfall, bringing terrible devastation to the eastern region of Dak Lak province. Preliminary statistics as of July 11 showed that more than 2,000 houses had collapsed, their roofs blown off, many boats and seafood cages were damaged, sinking the hopes and savings of many families.

Trees fell and aquaculture cages were washed ashore by storm waves.

The storm hit, the main road running through Phu My village, Song Cau ward was completely paralyzed. Large trees fell across the road, many aquaculture cages were washed away by the waves, overflowing onto the road, causing serious congestion.

Having lived in this land for decades, Mr. Tran Ngoc Lam, in Phu My village, is still shocked by the devastation caused by the storm. Hurriedly collecting what was left, Mr. Lam sadly said: “The house, crops and aquaculture cages of his family, as well as many other households in the village, were all severely damaged. The people do not know where to start to recover...”

Officers and soldiers of Regiment 888 help people of Song Cau ward overcome the consequences of the storm. Photo : Tien Luong

When the people need it, the provincial armed forces strive to reach them as soon as possible. As soon as the storm ended, that same night, the leaders of the Provincial Military Command directly commanded the mobilization of forces and vehicles to rescue the people.

Regiment 888, PTKV 1 Command Board - Song Cau, militia and self-defense forces and forces stationed in the area quickly organized to clear fallen trees, trim broken branches, clear the road, ensuring safe travel for people. At the same time, mobile working groups went to each household to survey the number of houses and damaged boats, aquaculture cages, and promptly have practical support plans for people.

Soldiers joined hands to clean up the wreckage after the storm.

Along with the officers and soldiers clearing the fallen trees in front of his house, Mr. Thai Cao Phuong, Phu My village shared: “After the storm, the damage to my family as well as the households here was very heavy. Since early morning, the soldiers have been coming to the people here, helping to clear the roads. Without the soldiers, traffic here would not know when it would be able to resume.”

While the storm caused damage in the east, in Ea Bung, Ea Sup, Ea Rok in the west of the province, heavy rains lasting all night pushed the communes into a critical situation. The huge amount of water pouring in, combined with the overflow from the Ea Sup Thuong and Ea Sup Ha lakes, caused the water levels of the streams to rise suddenly, causing local flooding in low-lying areas and downstream areas.

Local flooding in Ea Rok commune.

As soon as the flood came, the leaders of the Command of Defense Zone 3 - Ea Sup, the leaders of the communes and the functional forces were directly present at the hot spots to inspect the situation and direct the response work. Units and localities proactively deployed all prevention plans, giving top priority to evacuation and ensuring people's lives and property.

Ea Sup commune militia soldiers keep abreast of the flood situation in the area.

In the race against the raging flood, hundreds of officers and soldiers of the Defense Command of Region 3 - Ea Sup and the militia and self-defense forces stayed up almost all night to do their duty.

Militia soldier Vu Dai Bao (in village 13, Ea Sup commune) was one of the earliest to join the mission. At nearly 11 pm on November 6, he and the commune's regular militia squad arrived at the Ea Sup Ha lake area to evacuate people. He said: "At that time, the lake was releasing floodwaters, we had to help people evacuate in time. The rain and wind did not stop, at times the water was up to our chests, but we were still ready to go down to the villages and continue to mobilize people to leave the flooded areas."

Officers and soldiers of the Defense Command of Region 3 - Ea Sup help people of Ea Sup commune move their property to a safe place.

Another young soldier, Phan Khac Nguyen (in village 7, Ea Sup commune) is a new face in the commune militia force, but is extremely enthusiastic. Staying up all night, he and his teammates urgently carried each bag of rice; warned people about heavily flooded areas; and set up checkpoints in dangerous areas. He said: "The water rose high and flowed rapidly, even though everyone knew how to swim, we always reminded each other to be extremely careful to ensure safety."

Officers and soldiers of the Command of Defense Area 3 - Ea Sup wade through water to help people of Ea Rok commune evacuate their properties before the flood comes.

The dedication of young soldiers like Dai Bao and Khac Nguyen, along with the initiative of the Defense Command of Region 3, contributed to the timely and effective rescue work, minimizing property damage to the people in the area.

Colonel Nie Ta (middle), member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Commander of the Provincial Military Command, inspected and grasped the flood situation in the eastern communes and wards of the province.

Colonel Nie Ta, Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, Commander of the Provincial Military Command affirmed: “In the most stressful times, officers and soldiers of the provincial armed forces are always on duty, ready to perform well the work of natural disaster prevention, search and rescue with all our hearts. We will continue to stay close to the area, on duty 24/7 to help people overcome the consequences and stabilize their lives.”

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/tin-moi/202511/trang-dem-giup-dan-ung-pho-bao-lu-74125e2/