Villagers affected by serious flooding and landslides in Viet Nam have been telling their stories to the Red Cross volunteers and staff who are responding to the emergency.
Typhoon Kammuri, which hit the north of the country on 7 August, has caused widespread devastation in the provinces of Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho.
“I have never seen anything like this in my life. Huge blocks of land were falling down from the hills,” says Nguyen Thi Hoan, who – together with her eight-year-old son - narrowly escaped from a landslide and flash floods in the Doan Hung district of Phu Tho.
Worsen
Hoan had heard that the weather conditions were expected to worsen overnight, but no evacuation order was given.
When conditions deteriorated she ran, carrying her child on her back, to her mother’s home some 500 metres away. But the water was rising rapidly and she was soon trapped. Luckily, some neighbours heard her cries for help and came to her aid.
The landslide destroyed her home and swept away her savings, and she has now moved in with her 80-year-old mother.
Lost
Nguyen Thanh Quy, a 50-year-old father of four from the Minh Luong commune in Doan Hung, also lost his home in the disaster – but he was able to save his family.
A landslide hit their house at around midnight on 8 August, and Quy had to rush back into the collapsing building to rescue his youngest son.
“The little boy was fast asleep,” Quy told the Red Cross. “I carried him in his blanket, running out into the storm. He only woke up when the rain fell on him.”
Lucky
Quy and his family are now living with his mother in a small house nearby. However, while their home and many of their possessions have gone, their livestock survived, giving the family some hope for their future prospects.
The Red Cross of Viet Nam is helping those affected by the typhoon by distributing household kits, food, medicine and other emergency relief items. These are being delivered by boat to heavily-flooded areas and by hand to remote villages threatened by landslides.
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Villagers affected by serious flooding and landslides in Viet Nam have been telling their stories to the Red Cross volunteers and staff who are responding to the emergency. (p18074)
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Nguyen Thanh Quy, a 50-year-old father of four from the Minh Luong commune in Doan Hung, also lost his home in the disaster – but he was able to save his family. (p18075)
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“I have never seen anything like this in my life. Huge blocks of land were falling down from the hills,” says Nguyen Thi Hoan. (p18076)
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