Dozens of families in central Quang Nam Province have returned home 23 days after evacuation due to flooding and landslides triggered by Storm Molave, only to find little left.
Dozens of families in central Quang Nam Province have returned home 23 days after evacuation due to flooding and landslides triggered by Storm Molave, only to find little left.
Ho Thi Kien sits with her two children as she looks down on what used to be their home, now buried five meters beneath the rubble. "My house and all our belongings have either been swept away by flash floods or buried by landslides. We’ve been left completely empty-handed. For the past few days we’ve been relying on relatives," she said.
On October 28, Molave struck Vietnam as one of the most powerful storms to ever disrupt the country in 20 years, bringing along with it torrential downpours that led to flash floods and landslides across the central region. One such landslide buried 39 houses, a school and traffic infrastructure in Phuoc Thanh Commune of Quang Nam’s Phuoc Son District. No human fatalities were recorded since all residents had been evacuated prior to the storm’s arrival.
A residential area flattened by a landslide. The entire commune stood isolated until Tuesday when task forces finally managed to reconnect it with the outside world.
What’s left of a house following flash floods.
The house of Ho Thi Hoa narrowly missed the impact of flash floods. Her family has covered the adjoining slope with canvas to avoid further soil erosion should more rains arrive.
Inside the house, Hoa’s oldest daughter, Ho Thi Ngoc Khanh, sits beside the slope holding her younger sibling. "We have nowhere else to go. All we wish for at this moment is that authorities allocate us relief aid and assist our resettlement." Should the situation worsen, the entire family would take shelter at the commune’s office.
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Houses lining a street in Phuoc Thanh Commune seen before and after flash floods and landslides struck the locality.
For over three weeks, the newly homeless sheltered at the commune medical center, relying on food and essential product donations.
"After 10 years, my husband and I had earned enough to build our own home, but now everything’s gone. All I have left is the clothes on my back," Nguyen Thi Mai Ly, one of the women pictured, said.
The destroyed road leading to a primary-secondary school in Phuoc Thanh.
A dormitory for teachers has been inundated with storm debris.
This kindergarten was still under construction when floods swept away a part of its first floor. "The flash flood brought along with it rocks and logs, sweeping away everything in its path," a local recalled.
Workers clear out a warehouse covered by a layer of mud nearly half a meter thick.
A tree left over from the floods is sawn into pillars to be used as reinforcement for a house.
Nguyen Quang, vice chairman of Phuoc Son District, said authorities are now focusing on fixing partially damaged houses. For those that have lost their homes, the district would provide all materials necessary to contruct temporary shelters. "Once everything is under control, the district would build an adequate resettlement area," he said.
Source : https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/families-displaced-by-central-vietnam-flooding-landslides-steeped-in-chaos-4194042.html
