From the Quang Trung Campaign to rapidly rebuild houses for families who lost their homes to practical social welfare policies, people in storm- and flood-hit areas are gradually stabilising their lives and feeling reassured as they prepare to welcome Tet.
After floods, hoping for a peaceful Tet
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen, from Mau Lam Hamlet, Thuong Duc Commune (Da Nang City), said that the recent floods submerged her house by nearly 2.5 metres. The entire herd of pigs and chickens, animal feed, household items were swept away, with estimated losses of about 200 million dong. As soon as the water receded, local authorities promptly came to visit, provided essential supplies, cash assistance, and encouraged her family to stabilise their morale. Commune officials guided and certified loan procedures so that she could maintain livestock farming, prepare for post-flood life and welcome the Lunar New Year. Neighbours joined hands to help her family clean up the house and share the workload. “Tet is approaching, with the care from the authorities and the help of neighbours, my family feels more at ease to continue working and try to overcome difficulties,” said Huyen.
In Dong Cham Hamlet, Thuong Duc Commune, Mr Le Hung Linh still cannot forget the feeling of emptiness when his house was almost completely swept away after the historic flood. In those circumstances, what he wished for most was a safe place to live for his family. Thanks to the coordination of local authorities together with the commune police force, a wooden house was rebuilt under the rapid Quang Trung Campaign directed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. “Having a roof to shelter from rain and sun at this moment is a very great source of encouragement,” Linh emotionally shared. In addition to repairing the house, his family also received 20 million VND from the State, while mass organisations continued to provide cash and essential supplies to help stabilise their lives.
In Hue City, Mai Van Dong, from Thanh Trung residential group, Hoa Chau Ward, still feels worried when recalling the recent storm and floods. Strong winds tore off almost the entire roof of his house, many items were damaged, and rice, grain and household necessities became damp. “At that time, I was very worried, especially since the storm and floods happened at night; I was afraid of danger and also did not know how life would be managed afterwards,” said Dong.
After the storm and floods, his family urgently reinforced the roof and cleared away mud and debris. What moved and touched him most was the timely support from local authorities and the solidarity of neighbours: some contributed labour, others lent building materials, provided food, cooked together, and helped the family overcome difficulties. Ward authorities sent officials directly to visit, assess damage, provide essential supplies and part of the funding for house repairs. “That care helps my family reduce difficulties and gives us more confidence to overcome them,” said Dong. He also expressed his hope to soon stabilise accommodation and welcome a more peaceful Tet.
Caring for people
According to Phan Trung Phi, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Thuong Duc Commune, after the floods, the key task of the locality is to focus on overcoming consequences, stabilising lives, and taking care of people in preparation for Tet. Based on the review of actual damage, the commune leadership proactively implemented specific support plans, ensuring the right beneficiaries and the right levels of support, helping residents soon stabilise their housing and daily life. For houses damaged, collapsed, or swept away by storms and floods, the commune carried out repairs under the Quang Trung Campaign with the participation of many forces. To date, the locality has completed the repair and restoration of eight houses for residents, including one household that voluntarily built a new house and has completed it.
According to officials of the Culture and Social Affairs Division of Thuong Duc Commune, households with injured members due to storms and floods are supported with 5 million VND; households whose houses were damaged or swept away, in addition to repairs, are also supported with 20 million VND to overcome initial difficulties. For more difficult cases, the commune proactively makes lists and reports to the city for appropriate support plans during Tet. Besides housing support, the locality also pays attention to caring for vulnerable households, elderly people living alone, and families facing many difficulties after natural disasters. The People’s Committee of the commune proposes higher-level authorities to support rice and essential supplies, while coordinating with mass organisations to organise visits, encouragement and assistance so that people can stabilise their lives and prepare for Tet in the best possible conditions.
Secretary of the Party Committee of Hoa Chau Ward (Hue City) Tran Ngoc Duong said: Along with support from the central and city levels, the ward proactively implemented many specific solutions directly targeting heavily affected households and vulnerable groups. The Party Committee and People’s Committee of the ward coordinated with the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and benefactors to organise emergency relief activities in the very first days after the floods, giving absolute priority to households that were deeply flooded, suffered property losses, and vulnerable households. The ward mobilised youth unions, soldiers and social forces to participate in cleaning schools, public works and houses, and carried out disinfection and sterilisation to prevent the outbreak of diseases.
Although there were no houses that collapsed or were swept away, damage to crops and livestock greatly affected the livelihoods of people in Hoa Chau. Facing this reality, the ward authorities focused on supporting households engaged in agricultural production and aquaculture. “We pay special attention to heavily affected households, propose the city to distribute crop and livestock breeds, and allocate funding in a timely manner to rebuild internal irrigation canal systems and embankments in aquaculture areas, helping residents soon return to production,” said Duong.
Along with restoring production, caring for spiritual life and preparing Tet for the people is placed at the top priority by the locality. “With the spirit of leaving no one behind, we identify restoring life and bringing Tet joy to residents after floods as an important political task, determined to organise a peaceful and compassionate Spring,” the Secretary of the Party Committee of Hoa Chau Ward added.
From the side of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, Head of the Social Affairs Department Cao Xuan Thao affirmed that after storms and floods, the Front at all levels has focused on mobilising social resources to support people in overcoming consequences and stabilising their lives. The priority is given to building and repairing houses for affected households, along with supporting food, essential supplies and cash to meet immediate essential needs. In preparation for the Lunar New Year, caring for people in disaster-hit areas is identified as an important task. The Viet Nam Fatherland Front coordinates with member organisations to implement many activities such as visits and Tet gift-giving for poor households, vulnerable households and families heavily affected after storms and floods.
According to Comrade Cao Xuan Thao, along with immediate support, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front focuses on identifying the right beneficiaries, coordinating resources reasonably, ensuring openness and transparency, avoiding overlap, while integrating appropriate livelihood support so that people can soon restore production and stabilise their lives in the long term. As difficulties are gradually removed, the practical care of authorities at all levels and the joint efforts of society have added confidence for people in storm- and flood-hit areas to feel reassured in welcoming Tet, making a Spring even warmer.
