Tra My highlands in disarray after natural disaster

After days of severe floods, Tra Giap commune, the most severely damaged area in the Tra My highlands, is still in disarray. While the recovery work is still in full swing, the Tra My highlands are preparing to face storm No. 13.

After nearly 10 days of isolation, the landslide site of Nui Da Den (Ong Van's roof, village 2) has just been cleared. Photo: NGUYEN BINH

After nearly 10 days of isolation, the road through the giant landslide of Da Den mountain (Ong Van peak, village 2, Tra Giap commune), bordering the old Tra Giac commune, has just been temporarily reopened. However, the internal inter-village road system has only been restored in 4/5 villages, while village 3 alone is still completely isolated by dozens of large landslides. The buried rocks and soil, eroding the roadbed, make access to Boa village almost impossible.

Mr. Nguyen Thai Bang, Head of Village 3, Tra Giap Commune, said that the locality has 256 households with 988 people. As soon as the rain stopped, the commune's working groups immediately cut through the forest, crossed streams to visit and support with food, instant noodles and necessities. Four households, namely Nguyen Tien Dung, Nguyen Van Tuan, Nguyen Thanh Tuyn, and Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, had their houses completely collapsed and lost all their property; three seriously injured people received timely first aid.

Mr. Nguyen Thai Bang, Head of Village 3, Tra Giap Commune, said that the locality has 256 households with 988 people. As soon as the rain stopped, the commune's working groups immediately cut through the forest, crossed streams to visit and support with food, instant noodles and necessities. Four households, namely Nguyen Tien Dung, Nguyen Van Tuan, Nguyen Thanh Tuyn, and Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, had their houses completely collapsed and lost all their property; three seriously injured people received timely first aid.

The power grid in Tra Giap has been basically restored, but the telecommunications network is still unstable and frequently lost. Mobile signals must be detected from the border of Quang Ngai , Tra Tan and Tra Van communes, which are very weak and unstable.

The entire Tra Giap commune had 49 houses affected, of which 6 houses collapsed completely, 5 people were seriously injured, 2 critical cases were fortunately saved. During the days of rain and floods, the locality evacuated 620 people. As of November 5, many households were still unable to return due to collapsed houses and cracks in the mountains behind, posing a potential risk of landslides.

The Toong stream area (village 2) suffered heavy damage, many houses were buried in mud and damaged. The solid embankment along Toong stream was also destroyed by floodwaters. Not only were houses lost, most of the rice fields in the whole commune were covered by rocks and soil, wiping out cultivated fields, many fields turned into streams.

Responding to storm No. 13

On the afternoon of November 4, Tra Giap commune held a meeting to deploy response work to storm No. 13, which is forecast to cause heavy rain from the night of November 6 to November 8. Secretary of the Commune Party Committee Hoang Thanh Long said that the damage caused by the flood in late October and early November caused severe damage to the Tra My highlands; although local forces have made every effort, the road to recovery is still bumpy, while the upcoming storm No. 13 is a huge challenge.

Tra Giap commune leaders inspect the landslide scene of Mr. Nguyen Thanh Ai's house. Photo: NGUYEN BINH

Mr. Long acknowledged the sense of responsibility and efforts of the local forces despite the difficulties during the rainy and flood days; at the same time, he emphasized that the "4 on-site" motto continues to be identified as the key to protecting people's lives and property.

The commune leaders requested Party organizations, the Fatherland Front and mass organizations to strengthen propaganda, evacuate people from dangerous areas, proactively reinforce houses, and clear sewers; the People's Committee and the Civil Defense Command to be on duty 24/7, prepare human resources and means, inspect landslide sites, and be ready to evacuate people; police and military forces to block off, warn of dangers, and ensure people's safety; heads of agencies and units closely monitor assigned areas, proactively direct, and promptly report any arising situations.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/vung-cao-tra-my-ngon-ngang-sau-thien-tai-3309296.html