Floating homes bring flood security to vulnerable communities

For more than five years, Cao Thi Hong Lan has no longer feared the arrival of the annual flood season in Kim Phu Commune, Quang Tri Province.

The change came with the construction of a floating home funded by readers of Dantri/Dtinews Newspaper, providing her family with a safe refuge during severe floods.

The area where Lan lives is inundated almost every year. For her and many other residents, the floating homes have become more than emergency shelters, allowing families to remain in their communities instead of evacuating whenever floodwaters rise.

Lan is one of 50 households in Kim Phu Commune that received floating homes following the devastating floods of late 2020. The project, worth VND 1.5 billion, was funded by Dantri readers.

Each structure measures about 20 square metres and is supported by eight to 12 sealed steel drums beneath the floor. The homes are fitted with insulated metal roofs and walls, emergency escape windows and guide posts standing six to eight metres high that anchor the structures to the ground. As floodwaters rise, the homes float upwards while remaining secured in place before settling back when the water recedes.

The initiative has since inspired support from other organisations and individuals, enabling hundreds more families in Kim Phu Commune to build similar flood-resistant homes.

"Since receiving the floating home, we've stopped worrying about having to flee floods," Lan said.

"When the water rises, all five members of my family can stay there comfortably. Once the floods are over, we use it to store rice, maize and household belongings."

Another resident, Cao Xuan Hanh, said his family previously had to move food supplies and valuables to safer locations before every rainy season and often sought shelter with relatives living on higher ground.

"Since we got the floating home, we no longer have to evacuate," he said. "For communities that face flooding every year, it's the most effective solution if people want to remain on their land."

Hoang Thanh Binh, vice-chair of the Kim Phu Commune People's Committee, said the commune now has more than 500 floating homes, including the 50 funded by Dantri readers.

He said the structures are relatively inexpensive to build, can be completed quickly and are used not only during floods but also as storage space or additional living areas throughout the year.

The model is now being expanded to Dak Lak Province.

Dantri's editor-in-chief has approved funding from readers' donations to build 50 floating homes for families in Tuy An Bac Commune and Dong Xuan Commune.

The project has a total budget of VND 2 billion, including VND 1.75 billion donated by Dantri readers, with the remaining funding provided by local authorities. After more than two months of construction, all 50 homes have been completed and are ready for use.

Dang Thi Phuong Thao, a resident of Dong Xuan Commune whose home is close to the Ky Lo River, said her family experiences one or two floods almost every year.

"The floating home gives us a safe place to protect both our belongings and ourselves if floodwaters rise suddenly," she said. "Everyone in the neighbourhood is delighted. Some people say they'll build one themselves when they can, while others hope they'll be able to shelter in one if a major flood comes."

Tran Viet Hoa, deputy head of the Economic Division of Dong Xuan Commune, said the project had been warmly welcomed by residents.

He said the floating homes would provide vulnerable communities with a reliable means of reducing losses and improving preparedness during the annual flood season.