Schools begin cleanup after devastating floods

The 2nd deadly flood to hit Vietnam this year has left 86 schools in Huong Khe District, central Ha Tinh Province, buried in mud.

Damages are estimated to be at a combined VND20 billion (USD1 million).

The information was given by Le Ngoc Minh, Director of the Huong Khe Department of Education and Training.

Huong Loc Primary School after flood

Thai Thi Thanh Xuan, Headmaster of Huong Loc Primary School, Loc Yen Commune, cried when she saw all her school’s teaching and learning equipment covered with mud. Fences were ruined and tables were mostly swept away.

Xuan shared, “At 2am on the night when the flood came, all teachers rushed to save the school, but we failed to fight with the powerful currents which nearly swept away a female teacher named Thao.”

On October 21, pupils went to the school to dig up books and learning equipment. Han Thi Thu, a fourth-grade student whose hands were spattered with mud said, “My house has been destroyed, I came to school to look for books.”

Huong Loc Nursery School is also in the same situation with classrooms full of mud and rubbish. School Headmaster Vo Thi Thuan said, “This morning, many children asked their parents to go to school. Unfortunately, the school is now covered with mud.”

Pupils digging through the mud looking for books

Villages destroyed after the flood

As flood waters went away, what remained were devastated spaces of many localities in Ha Tinh Province, particularly Hung Binh and Truong Thuong hamlets in Loc Yen Commune which is located upstream of Ngan Sau River.

Rows of bamboo and trees which were hundreds of years of old were uprooted. Local households are surrounded by heaps of rubbish which gives out a terrible smell.

In Trung Thuong Hamlet, Nguyen Thi Khoat and her husband were in a state of panic after the flood. All they have left is the frame of their house.

Since after the flood went away, her husband screamed out at the river bank, “Where is my house? My bed?” The man seemed to ask the river to return his beloved house.

Nguyen Thi Duc, 70 years old, along with her daughter sought shelter on a tree near their house for two days. To ensure the safety for Mrs. Duc, her daughter tied her on the tree with a rope. During these days, they had to suffer from a frightening feeling of being bitten by insects and suffering from hunger. The flood went away, leaving rubbish piled up to the roof.

Mr.s Khoat’s house after the deluge

The old couple feels exhausted after the disaster



Assets replaced by mud and rubbish