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Survivors of deadly flood get new homes

By Le Hoang   January 14, 2020 | 07:05 pm PT
Sa Na villagers in the central province of Thanh Hoa were rehoused four months after Storm Wipha killed 10 and displaced many last August.
The new residential area stretches five hectares on Pom Ngo hill, about a kilometer where 51 families’ previous homes were ravaged by the flood. The project was spearheaded by the local authorities. On August 3 last year, the flood pouring down on Sa Na village in Na Meo Commune, Quan Son District claimed 10 lives and wiped away and destroyed dozens of houses, when many were still asleep and there was little time for them to do anything. The village was home to more than 300 people. Most of them are Thai minorities.

Spearheaded by local authorities, the new residential area stretches five hectares along the Pom Ngo hillside, about a kilometer from where 51 families lost their previous homes to flooding. 

In early August last year, heavy rains inundated Sa Na Village in Na Meo Commune, Quan Son District, claiming 10 lives, wiping away 20 homes and destroying many others while residents slept. The village was home to more than 300 people, most from the Thai minority group.
A snapshot of several finished houses. 19 households were provided with the housing, these are the families whose homes had been wiped away or completely destroyed by the flood, others had put up stilt houses following their Thai customs, Vu Van Dat, Chairman of Quan Son District Peoples Committee said. 32 silt houses are located behind the concrete houses. Each building is between 65-85 square meters wide.

The project includes 19 concrete houses and 32 stilt houses, each between 65-85 square meters.

"The 19 families who got the concrete houses had lost their entire property in the flood. The others preferred to erect stilt homes following Thai custom," Vu Van Dat, chairman of Quan Son District People's Committee, said.
The project also built a culture house and a kindergarten and an elementary school to the flood victims can go back to school. The project costs VND15 billion from the government’s fund and donors. Accordingly, families suffering from 70-100 percent damage will receive VND300 million, while those with 50-70 percent of loss get VND200 million. Families recovering from 30-50 percent damage get VND50 million less.

Besides, a culture house, a kindergarten and an elementary school have been built to serve the battered community.
After finishing their stilt house, a couple erects one of the steel poles needed for the construction of their kitchen and bathroom.

After finishing their stilt house, a couple erects steel posts needed for their kitchen and bathroom.
A couple of workers work on a dyke built to prevent erosion.We will work hard to finish this before the Lunar New Year, Lu Van Ha, Secretary of Na Meo Commune Party Committee said.Vietnam will celebrate the Lunar New Year, or Tet from January 23 to 28 this year.

A new embankment to prevent further erosion.

"We will work hard to finish construction before the Lunar New Year," Lu Van Ha, a local official, said. The country's biggest festival peaks on January 25.
Some army soldiers in the region were hailed for help with the construction.

Soldiers assist the community with the construction.
Hoang Xuan Luyen sits with his first son in front of their family’s new porch. Luyen and his wife lost their second three-month-old child to the flood. Luyen himself was swept away by five kilometers but survived. We lost all our house and rice field, now we have to forget the pain and rebuild our life, he said.

Hoang Xuan Luyen sits with his son on their new porch. The family lost a three-month-old infant to the disaster. Luyen himself was swept away five kilometers downstream but was fortunate to survive.

"We have to forget the pain and rebuild our life," he said.
The flood rendered many houses unlivable in Sa Na village in early August. Out of 10 people missing, the authorities have only managed to find four bodies. A report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said natural disasters, mostly flooding, tropical storms and landslides, left 133 people dead and missing last year, down 40 percent from 2018. They caused losses worth around VND7 trillion ($302.6 million), a third of the previous years figure of VND20 trillion ($858 million).

One of the houses destroyed by the flood in Sa Na. Of the 10 persons pronounced dead, only four bodies were found.

A Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development report stated natural disasters, mostly flooding, tropical storms and landslides, left 133 people dead or missing in Vietnam last year, and caused damage worth around VND7 trillion ($302.6 million).

 
 
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