Several areas of Yen Bai City were flooded due to rising water levels in the Red River on Monday. Wards like Hong Ha, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Yen Ninh were 2 m underwater. About 2,400 families had to be evacuated. Traffic was paralyzed.
From Sunday to Monday, rain levels in Yen Bai went up to 491 mm in certain areas.
In Yen Ninh Ward, 82 out of over 315 families in the area are in vulnerable locations.
Luong Xuan Quyet, chairman of the ward People's Committee, said there had been areas more than 2 m underwater as of Monday afternoon. The ward has evacuated people in vulnerable areas, but some stayed behind to watch over their belongings.
Locals said inundation levels were similar in 2008, but the water never rose this quickly.
Tran Ngoc Long (pictured) said he helped his neighbors escape the flood until 2 a.m. Monday. The 50-year-old man said his house was supposed to be located high enough above ground, beyond the reach of floodwater, yet when he woke up, the water has almosted reached the door's threshold.
Long, who owns a paint store, then relocated goods with his employees. The water continued to rise as the rain persisted, he said.
"Tonight, this neighborhood may not sleep to watch over the rising water," he said.
Sisters Nguyen Thu Ha and Nguyen Ha Linh, both 7th graders, sit as they watched the water almost reaching the porch. They said it was like an "infinity pool".
The twins have been staying home since typhoon Yagi made landfall, and do not know when they can return to school. Their lunches were porridge and their dinner was bread, as power supply has been cut in the area since Sunday night.
Over 200 meals were provided by authorities and civilian donors. They would later be distributed throughout neighborhoods using boats.
Vu Ngoc Son, who owns a charity restaurant in Yen Bai, said he donated 300 meals on Monday. The meals, including meat, egg and vegetables, were distributed using boats.
The entire ward has three boats, the main means of transportation to distribute food and other necessities to those isolated by the water.
Can Van Ngoc, 82, received meals at around 6 p.m. on Monday. He said he and his 75-year-old wife had not eaten since the morning. His joint problems meant he could not travel properly.
"Please help us for tonight and tomorrow night; last night I was so worried I couldn't sleep," he said.
After distributing hundreds of meals, militia members of Yen Ninh Ward came to flooded homes to evacuate people to higher grounds, as downpours are expected at night.
Power outages turned people's lives upside down.
"The water may continue to rise, causing long-lasting inundations. We will perform more inspections at flooded areas to evacuate people," Quyet, the ward chairman, said.
A man waits for his dinner to be distributed on the second floor of his house. The first floor has already been 2 m underwater.
At 7 p.m. on Monday, downpours in Yen Bai caused water to rush downhill, flooding the city.
A report by the Yen Bai Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue said landslides had killed three people and injured four others by 5 p.m. Monday. Over 6,000 houses were damaged.
Militia members brave the elements to distribute food and evacuate people. Video by VnExpress
