Schools in Nghe An province are recovering after the historic floods.

GD&TĐ - The historic flood caused by Typhoon Wipha and its remnants in western Nghe An province has caused serious damage, with many schools completely submerged and infrastructure buried in mud.

Currently, flood relief efforts are underway. The spirit of mutual support and solidarity is also being demonstrated, reaching out to schools in the flood-affected areas of Nghe An province during these most difficult times.

An urgent letter from the school principal in the flood-stricken area.

Immediately after escaping isolation and regaining phone and internet access, Mr. Tran Sy Ha, the principal of My Ly 2 Ethnic Boarding Primary School (My Ly commune, Nghe An province), wrote a long, urgent letter on his personal Facebook page appealing for support to overcome the consequences of the floods.

In his appeal letter, he stated: “The floodwaters rose so rapidly on the night of July 22nd that they completely submerged the buildings, sweeping away and burying most of the facilities, teaching equipment, and living supplies of teachers and students. Although we tried to elevate important equipment, the water was too strong and swept everything away. The once magnificent school, where teachers and students lived and taught in this remote village, is now nothing but rubble and mud.”

Earlier, as the floodwaters began to recede, despite the continued rain and landslides blocking the roads, Mr. Tran Sy Ha still rode his motorbike to the school to check on the situation. During the days of heavy rain and flooding, the border commune of My Ly was isolated and lost communication, so Mr. Ha only knew that the school and many houses were affected, but he didn't know the specific details.

The 75km journey from his home in Huu Kiem commune to school had never been so arduous. Only about 30km was accessible by motorbike; for the rest, Mr. Ha had to leave his motorbike behind and walk through landslides, relying on villagers to help him with short stretches of the journey. Upon reaching the center of My Ly commune, the landslides became even more severe, forcing Mr. Ha to trek through the forest and wade through flooded sections to reach the school.

“When I arrived, the sight that greeted me was mud and debris covering the school's second floor, the dormitories and classrooms near the stream had been destroyed by the floodwaters, and all property had been swept away. All that remained was rubble. My heart ached, and I couldn't hold back my tears,” recalled the principal of My Ly 2 Ethnic Boarding Primary School.

Military personnel assist Chi Khe Kindergarten (Tra Lan, Nghe An) in cleaning up and repairing damage caused by the floods. Photo: NTCC

After the flood, the school suffered complete damage, including: 12 televisions, 5 refrigerators, 22 desktop computers, 3 laptops used for teaching, and all the desks and chairs in 7 classrooms; the kitchen, fully equipped with cooking utensils, and 1.7 tons of rice reserved for boarding students at the beginning of the new school year were also submerged. In addition, the students' books, personal belongings, and the teachers' blankets, beds, and personal items were also swept away by the flood.

Mr. Tran Sy Ha added that before the flood arrived, the school had assigned local teachers to move all the documents, books, and boarding school supplies for nearly 90 students (which had just been donated) to a higher floor for their use during the school year. However, because the water rose too quickly, reaching the second floor (about 10-11 meters higher than the previous peak flood level), all the school's important property, as well as that of the students and teachers, were submerged in water and mud. Many teachers broke down in tears upon witnessing their belongings being submerged by the floodwaters.

My Ly 2 Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary School has over 200 ethnic minority students from disadvantaged economic backgrounds. The school has 24 staff and teachers, 11 of whom live far away and reside in the school's staff housing. After the flood, not only the meeting rooms, offices, and teachers' residences but also the entire boarding building was swept away.

According to Mr. Tran Sy Ha, the school was built thanks to the attention of the Party, the State, charitable organizations, and the community, with the hope that it would be a shining example in the border area of ​​My Ly commune.

“In these extremely difficult circumstances, the school earnestly appeals for support from the community and kind-hearted people near and far. Immediately, the school needs to be rebuilt, requiring desks, chairs, cabinets, books, teaching equipment, blankets, and a kitchen… so that we can welcome the students back to class in the upcoming school year,” Mr. Ha expressed.

After the historic flood subsided, thousands of cubic meters of mud and debris reached the second floor of My Ly 2 Ethnic Boarding Primary School. Photo: NTCC

As the floodwaters recede, cleanup efforts must be carried out promptly.

Following the Principal's appeal, initial assistance has arrived at My Ly 2 Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary School. Generous donors have contributed 1 ton of rice, numerous bookshelves, desks, chairs, and mattresses for boarding students. In addition, essential items for cleaning and dealing with mud in the school, such as boots, a generator, and a high-pressure pump, are also arriving at the school in this border commune.

The Luu Kien Ethnic Boarding Junior High School (Luu Kien commune, Nghe An province) was completely rebuilt and put into use three years ago. The spacious school, with its full range of classrooms, functional rooms, and boarding facilities for students, is situated on the mountainside.

However, the recent historic flood caused the water to rise rapidly, submerging the schoolyard and flooding classrooms to a depth of 1 meter, damaging many pieces of equipment and learning materials. In addition, all the rice reserves for boarding students entering the new school year were also soaked.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung, the school principal, shared: “I have never witnessed such high floodwaters before. The water in the Kien stream in front and the water from the mountain flowing down the stream behind rushed and merged into one, rising so high that people couldn't react in time. My house and many of my colleagues' houses at the school were also flooded up to the roof; we only had time to run to higher ground for shelter.”

School supplies, computers, teaching equipment, and textbooks in many schools in Nghe An were damaged due to flooding. Photo: NTCC

The principal of Luu Kien Ethnic Boarding Junior High School added that after the floods, transportation was cut off, roads were damaged by landslides, and the families of the school's teachers and staff, as well as the neighboring primary school, suffered heavy losses.

Over the past few days, local forces, militia, soldiers, and police have come to assist people and schools in overcoming the damage caused by the floods. Thanks to their efforts, the mud and debris have been cleared from the school. "In the coming days, when the roads are clear, the school will mobilize more teachers from the lowlands to come to the school to clean up the entire area," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung.

Meanwhile, Chi Khe Kindergarten (Tra Lan commune, Nghe An province), located downstream of the Ca River, was also flooded, leaving behind meters of mud. Teaching equipment, toys, and other items for children were either swept away or damaged.

As soon as the floodwaters receded, soldiers from Regiment 335, Division 324, Military Region 4, along with the Nghe An Provincial Police, Con Cuong Commune Police, and local people and colleagues from schools less affected by the flood, came to assist Chi Khe Kindergarten in recovering from the damage. Many philanthropists also donated excavators, trucks, food, and water to the school. To date, the school is still continuing to clean up, dry desks and chairs, and other usable items.

The Nghe An Department of Education and Training launched a campaign to support efforts to mitigate the consequences of flooding caused by Typhoon Wipha. Photo: Ho Lai

Heading towards schools in flood-affected areas of Nghe An province.

According to initial statistics from the Nghe An Department of Education , Typhoon Wipha and its remnants caused severe damage to 52 schools in the province, mainly in the western mountainous area. Of these, 18 schools had their main campuses and some outlying areas completely flooded, 22 schools had outlying areas flooded, and 12 schools suffered landslides, mud and rocks flowing into the school grounds, roofs blown off, walls collapsed, etc.

In addition, more than 90 houses belonging to staff and teachers were submerged in water, and their property was swept away. In recent days, besides assisting with cleanup and recovery efforts following Typhoon Wipha, many organizations, units, and philanthropists have also directed their efforts towards schools in the flooded areas of Nghe An with the most practical assistance.

Tam Thai Primary School (Tam Thai commune, Nghe An province), located near National Highway 7, was suddenly and rapidly flooded in the middle of the night, damaging all the property on the first floor, including many televisions and computers that could not be moved in time. The school library was completely submerged, and more than 3,000 books, newspapers, and children's stories for students were soaked and damaged beyond repair. The "House of Wisdom and Compassionate Bookcase" organization announced that it will donate new computers and books to the students of Tam Thai Primary School in time for the new school year.

The Nghe An Department of Education and Training has launched a campaign to support efforts to overcome the consequences of flooding caused by Typhoon Wipha. Mr. Thai Van Thanh, Director of the Nghe An Department of Education and Training, said that the floods occurred just under a month before the start of the new school year.

At this time, many schools and school facilities have suffered severe damage, and many homes of officials, teachers, and students in mountainous areas have been destroyed by floods, with all their belongings swept away. Therefore, to quickly overcome the damage, the education sector urgently needs the attention and support of colleagues and people nationwide to help the people, teachers, and students in the flood-affected areas return to normal life.

In the long term, the education sector will continue to call for resources to support schools damaged by floods, supplementing facilities, teaching equipment, textbooks, and notebooks for students to ensure teaching needs are met. At the launch ceremony, the Department of Education and Training, along with several high schools, donated nearly 400 million VND to flood victims in the Western region. In the short term, the Department will provide urgent support to teachers who have lost their homes and to schools that have suffered severe damage.

On July 28th, the North Central Region Office of the Education and Times Newspaper launched a fundraising campaign to support those affected by floods in Nghe An province. The campaign runs from July 28th to August 5th. After the campaign concludes, the North Central Region Office (Education and Times Newspaper) will compile, publicly disclose, and transparently distribute the donations to schools and residents in the flood-affected areas of Nghe An.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/truong-hoc-o-nghe-an-guong-day-sau-tran-lu-lich-su-post741910.html