A view of Hoà Sơn Village, Tà Cạ Commune, Kỳ Sơn District in central Nghệ An Province three months after flash floods. VNA/VNS Photo Văn Tý

HÀ NỘI — Moong Như Bình Bình, a middle-aged man in Tà Cạ Commune, Kỳ Sơn District in central Nghệ An Province, is trying his best to complete the building of a temporary house so that his family can have a home to enjoy the Lunar New Year Festival.

The new house is only several kilometres away from his old house, which collapsed in recent flash floods.

Bình, as well as villagers in Bình Sơn 1, Hòa Sơn and Sơn Hà in Tà Cạ Commune were among the hardest hit when flash floods, triggered by torrential rain, struck Kỳ Sơn District in early October.

The flash floods swept away 56 houses and inundated dozens of others, causing more than VNĐ200 billion (US$8.5 million) in damages.

At the time the fierce floodwaters hit his village, Bình and his family ran away. His family members were safe, but their belongings were washed away or buried in mud.

After the flood, they had nothing left.

“We didn’t know what to do to resume our lives,” he said.

Bình received support from local authorities, soldiers and police during his most difficult time. Local soldiers helped him build a temporary house so that his family would spend its holiday there while waiting to be relocated in a resettlement area next year.

Three months after the flood, the commune has come back to life, leaving behind difficulties and hardships. Local people are busy preparing for Tết holidays with the hope of settling down in their new place in the next few months.

Vang Thị Bình, resident in Mường Xén Village, stands in front of her temporary house. VNA/VNS Photo Văn Tý

Vang Thị Bình, resident in Mường Xén Village, said a month after the floods, local authorities mobilised police, soldiers, militias and self-defence forces and youths to clean up thousands of cubic metres of mud. Convoys of relief trucks carried necessities to Kỳ Sơn District.

This motivated the affected people to quickly overcome the consequences of the natural disaster and return to normal life.

Bình is preparing to move into her temporary house before settling down in the resettlement area.

Kỳ Sơn District’s People’s Committee said a crack of more than 100 metres appeared at the foot of the mountain in Hoà Sơn Village in Tà Cạ Commune, posing a high risk of landslides at any time.

More than 250 households in the affected area needed to be relocated.

However, the resettlement project had not been completed, so local authorities required households in high-risk areas to move to a safe place.

Ngân Thị Tâm in Hoà Sơn Village helps her children build a temporary house while waiting to be relocated. VNA/VNS Photo Văn Tý

Ngân Thị Tâm, who is now living in an inn as her house was swept away, said her life had gradually stabilised.

“The local government has informed people about the relocation plan. We are all happy and supportive. I’ve encouraged my children to set up a temporary house to have a place to live and enjoy the Tết festival,” she said.

“We would like to thank the authorities and benefactors from all over the country for their help,” she said.

Kỳ Sơn District’s People’s Committee has allocated VNĐ815 million ($34,702) from the budget to support 163 affected households. The local relief committee has supplied VNĐ835 million ($35,550) to 167 affected households. More than 600 organisations and individuals have donated VNĐ55 billion ($2.3 million) to help local people overcome the consequences of the flooding.

Thò Bá Rê, vice chairman of Kỳ Sơn District People's Committee, said the district had proposed a plan to build a resettlement area for affected people.

Relevant authorities and sectors had conducted field trips and consulted with the Government to issue relevant documents to soon implement the urgent project.

Currently, 72 households were staying in temporary houses or with their relatives. The district had directed the People's Committee of Tà Cạ Commune to urgently build temporary houses for people ahead of Tết, he added. – VNS