Many households in Lang Son Province had to move to safer areas on September 17 evening as water levels of Ky Cung River continued rising.
Even though there were no rains in Lang Son Province, the water levels on the Ky Cung River increased greatly as an after-effect of typhoon Kalmaegi. In the afternoon, several locations, such as Gieng Vuong Market and a section of Nguyen Du Street, were submerged and by evening, some sections of the streets were already under 30cm water, isolating Sao Mai Commune.
Sao Mai Commune isolated
Nguyen Thi Nga, a trader on Nguyen Du Street, had to move all her commodities to high places. She said, "We had not been worried because it didn't rain, but I was panicked when the water reached my doorstep."
Moving belongings
Nguyen Kinh Thang, another resident, said that, after hearing about the storm, his family immediately decided to place everything onto higher places. However, he was still worried at the speed with which the water rose.
Many low-lying areas in Vinh Trai Ward were submerged, forcing local authorities to evacuate them. "It seems like the water will continue to rise. We're keeping close watch on the situation," said Tran Van Tri, head of residential unit 1.
Ky Cung River rises quickly
Water reaches a doorstep
Police were assigned to guard and monitor key locations such as Gieng Vuong Market to help regulate traffic. Local authorities had already prepared necessary equipment such as life jackets and life boats. Also, on the same day, typhoon Kalmaegi caused a landslide in Lang Son which killed six and injured five. This was an area where construction workers were temporarily living in tents.