Timely response

The prolonged heavy rain triggered severe floods, flash floods, and landslides in many communes: Xa Dung, Tìa Dình, Mường Luân, Pu Nhi, Na Son, Tuần Giáo, Phình Giàng, Mường Ảng, Na Sang…

As of 6 p.m. on August 3, floods had claimed 10 lives, injured 12 people; 73 households lost their homes entirely, 471 houses were damaged, and many others deemed unsafe. Transportation systems suffered serious disruption; infrastructure such as government offices, schools, and vast areas of farmland were also heavily damaged. The total estimated damage is about VND 500 billion.

Immediately after the disaster struck, Party committees, authorities at all levels, functional forces, and on-site emergency teams promptly activated response plans, coordinating effectively to carry out rescue operations, quickly reaching and assisting flood-hit residents.

In Háng Pu Xi village (Xa Dung commune) - where a devastating flash flood struck in the early hours of August 1 - although the flood tragically took two lives and swept away many houses and belongings, dozens of households managed to escape, a fortunate outcome amid the tragedy. Contributing to this survival was the proactive and highly responsible action of village head Mùa A Thi.

“At that moment, I knew it was urgent. I immediately called the households, telling them they must evacuate right away. I made it clear: if you can’t save your belongings, leave them - as long as your family gets out safely. We can rebuild what is lost…” - said Mùa A Thi, Head of Háng Pu Xi village.

Right after the calls, Mr. Thi, along with some young men in the village, hurried to alert and assist villagers in moving. By about 4:20 a.m., 21 households with 90 people had been gathered in a high and safe location. Just about 40 minutes later, the roar of falling trees and landslides thundered from upstream. A violent flash flood suddenly hit the village, almost completely flattening houses and gardens.

Prolonged heavy rains caused complete paralysis of roads, power lines, and phone signals in many flood-affected areas. Functional forces urgently mobilized maximum manpower, vehicles, and machinery to deal with the situation, prioritizing road clearance to enable quick and effective rescue and relief operations.

Phạm Văn Sỹ, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, said: “From the morning of August 1, dozens of machines such as excavators and bulldozers were mobilized to clear landslides along the roads leading to Na Son, Tìa Dình, and Xa Dung communes. By 1 a.m. on August 2, access to the ‘flood epicenter’ was basically restored.”

Once roads were reopened, forces immediately reached the scene to search for the missing, give first aid to the injured, and transfer them to higher-level hospitals for treatment. At the same time, relief supplies including food, drinking water, and medicines were promptly delivered to affected areas, ensuring no one was left hungry or thirsty.

As of now, residents in flood-hit areas of Xa Dung and Tìa Dình communes have begun to regain some stability. Households whose homes were completely swept away have been temporarily accommodated at communal cultural houses, relatives’ homes, or makeshift tents erected by the army.

Nguyễn Văn Tăng, Secretary of the Tìa Dình commune Party Committee, said: “Right after the disaster, relief, evacuation, and recovery efforts were carried out urgently and decisively. Households that lost their homes and all possessions were moved to safe places. Some are staying with relatives, while others are temporarily housed at the old health station and the commune cultural house. Basic necessities such as rice, clean water, and salt are being adequately supplied. Food transported by helicopter has also reached remote villages like Púng Báng, Huổi Va A, Huổi Va B, and Háng Tây.”

The current challenge is that many remote villages remain isolated due to severe landslides. Access roads are cut off, motorcycles cannot pass, forcing relief teams to walk, carry supplies on their backs, and trek through forests and streams to deliver food to residents.

Concentrating efforts on recovery

At the disaster response and recovery meeting on the afternoon of August 2, provincial Party Secretary Trần Quốc Cường requested departments, agencies, and functional forces to continue mobilizing all resources to focus on repairing the flood damage and ensuring residents’ lives return to normal as soon as possible.

Police and military forces must quickly reach still-isolated villages, especially in Tìa Dình and Xa Dung communes. Functional departments must work decisively to reopen roads, promptly treat the injured, and use schools, health stations, and commune offices as safe temporary shelters for all households who lost their homes, ensuring no one is left without shelter. At the same time, adequate food, drinking water, and medicines must be provided; households with damaged homes must be promptly relocated to temporary accommodation. As soon as communication is restored with isolated villages, their exact situations and needs must be assessed for timely and effective support.

The Điện Biên Power Company is actively directing its teams to urgently fix outages affecting 97 transformer stations, aiming to restore electricity as quickly as possible to residents.

Trần Thế Hùng, Deputy Director of the Điện Biên Power Company, said: “By the evening of August 2, electricity had been restored to more than 6,350 customers, ensuring 100% of affected communes have power. In extremely difficult locations, the power sector will continue to mobilize forces and implement suitable measures to restore power for residents as quickly as possible.”

Although floodwaters have receded, recovery work in affected areas cannot be completed in a short time. Authorities at all levels and functional forces continue to work tirelessly every day to bring residents’ lives back to normal as soon as possible.