Hanoi residents work all night to save their belongings from flooding

In Chuong My district, fear of floods had residents up all night on Saturday to move their belongings, including furniture and other goods.

When storm Son Tinh made landfall as a tropical depression last weekend, bringing continuous, heavy rain in northern and central Vietnam, residents of this commune sprung into action. Elsewhere, 20 people had lost their lives and 16 were listed as missing as of Saturday night.

Residents used motorbikes to carry their household items to a safer place. 

“Our house is in a valley so we need to move rice to a higher area. We have moved over a ton of rice from the afternoon till the evening,” said Nguyen Duy Dong, a local resident.

Packages of rice and other household items got priority. The owner of this house said that he and his family will sleep at a neighbor’s house if the flood happens in the next days.

Moving livestock amidst pouring rain took a lot of time. 

At midnight, the commune was still lit up and the sounds of moving rented the air.

The 305 Task Force Academy nearby sent 150 soldiers to assist the residents.

“Evacuation is basically done, but the water level (in Bui River) along our 2-kilometer long dike has reached 75 percent (of its height),” said Nguyen Huy Phong, chairman of the commune. 

Last year, the dike had been breached during heavy rain, inundating the commune and isolating thousands of residents for days.

Storm Son Tinh is the third storm of the year to form in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea. Weather forecasters expect the East Sea to churn up another five to seven storms and tropical depressions this year.