Local residents in Tắk Lang Village, Trà Don Commune, help each other overcome difficulties after historic landslides. — Photo tienphong.vn

QUẢNG NAM — Standing outside her door, Hồ Thị Nga hopes her life will change for the better after a temporary house made of bamboo and iron sheets is completed. 

Measuring just 10sq.m, the house was built thanks to the efforts of her neighbours, helping her family of five have a temporary shelter.

Her family is one of 38 households living in Tắk Lang Village, Trà Don Commune, in central Quảng Nam Province's Nam Trà My District, who lost their homes after landslides that hit the region over two months ago.

“The first week after the landslide, my whole family had to move to live in a neighbour's house and they also gave us meals. The local government provided additional support after that, so my family and others affected by the landslide no longer had to worry about daily meals. But we did not know how to get a new house as the properties were buried," Nga told Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Trà Don Commune, Trần Vĩnh Thơ, said houses were buried by the landslide. Families lost everything.

The victims of the landslide were lucky because they received help from other local residents.

Temporary houses were quickly built on land donated by other families.

"Without the solidarity and support of other people, the people in Tắk Lang Village were unable to overcome difficulties. The government support is part of the solution, but the most important thing is the love and help of people in times of difficulty,” said Thơ.

The government of Nam Trà My District is urgently clearing soil and rocks, creating space for new houses before the Lunar New Year.

Ông Đề Village in Trà Leng Commune, Nam Trà My District, suffered the most damage when storm Molave, the ninth to hit the country, made landfall on October 28, 2020.

Two months after the terrible landslides, nine bodies were found, but there are still 13 people, including the Secretary of Trà Leng Commune, Lê Hoàng Việt, still missing.

Traces of landslides remains in Ông Đề Village, Trà Leng Commune. — Photo tienphong.vn

The road to the centre of Trà Leng commune was repaired after the landslide, but traces of the terrible landslide remain with graves built at the foot of the mountain.

After two months, the search for the bodies has stopped. But local forces still search along rivers, lakes and streams. Villagers are still hoping for a miracle.

On December 22, a new resettlement area was started by the government of Nam Trà My District to help the landslide victims.

Trần Văn Mẫn, vice chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Trà My District, said local authorities conducted a survey and chose a land plot with an area of ​​6ha for resettlement.

This land plot is donated by people in Trà Don Commune.

"Local people and authories in Trà Don Commune agreed and donated 6ha of their land to victims in Trà Leng Commune to build a resettlement area. It's the kindness of neighbours," said Mẫn.

Fifty-one households affected by landslides in Trà Leng Commune will receive VNĐ150 million from the Government fund and other support to build new homes.

The district People's Committee will invest in infrastructure including electricity, water and roads so that people can soon get back to normality after natural disasters, according to Mẫn.

"The disaster is terrible. The biggest challenge for the local government at this time is to help people stay calm and take care of their mental health after the landslides," Mẫn said. — VNS