Hanoi: Teachers stay up all night to watch the water recede, using flashlights to clean the school.

Teachers clean up school after Typhoon Yagi . (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

Today, water in some flooded areas of Hanoi has gradually receded. Schools quickly started cleaning and sanitizing classrooms to prepare for the return of students next Monday.

Teachers worked day and night to clear the school from floodwaters. They had to use flashlights because of the power outage, and even used fire extinguisher hoses to create pressure to push mud out of the schoolyard.

Clean up as soon as the water recedes.

Over the past few days, half a meter of water has flooded into the classrooms on the first floor of Duyen Ha Secondary School, Thanh Tri District, Hanoi. Before the flood, the school mobilized teachers and parents to move all machinery, equipment, desks, chairs, school supplies, books, etc. to the second floor to avoid the flood.

Ms. Trieu Thi Minh Thang, the school’s principal, said that for the past 8 days, she and the school’s Yagi storm prevention steering committee have been on duty 24/7. From 3:00 p.m. on September 11, the water began to recede, which was also the time when teachers started cleaning up.

According to Ms. Thang, the school only has more than 20 teachers, of which 4 are on maternity leave, 8 are isolated due to flooding, leaving only more than 10 teachers. Parents are also isolated due to flood water, teachers have to mobilize relatives to come to school to support.

“We have to clean up with the tide, stirring the mud so that wherever the water recedes, the mud will flow away. If we let the mud stagnate, it will be very difficult to clean up and especially the mud will stain the walls. Therefore, we worked continuously until 9 p.m. to clean the entire classroom floor. Due to the power outage, teachers had to use their phone flashlights to look for clues,” Ms. Thang shared.

Teachers at Duyen Ha Secondary School clean up at night. (Photo: NTCC)

With the spirit of cleaning up as soon as possible, on September 12, teachers continued to clean the gym and school yard. Today, the entire campus was cleaned. Teachers were busy moving tables, chairs, machines, equipment, books from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor, and rearranging the flower pots, tables, etc.

“This afternoon, we will conduct a full electrical inspection. We have to check every electrical device, from fans, televisions, lighting equipment, cameras, etc. because the walls are soaked in water. Tomorrow, we will conduct a medical inspection, from the medicine cabinet to disinfecting the water tank. On Sunday, we will sprinkle chloramine B and spray disinfectant throughout the school. On Monday, we will be ready to welcome students back to class,” Ms. Thang shared.

Join hands, share ideas

This morning, staff and teachers of Van Phuc Secondary School (Thanh Tri, Hanoi) were also present at the school early to clean up the school yard which had been flooded in recent days.

Ms. Dang Thi Thao, the school's principal, said that before, around September 10, facing the risk of the school being flooded due to heavy rain, that very night, the school mobilized staff, teachers, parents, and students to move all facilities from the first floor to the second floor, from machinery, tables and chairs, books, library, etc. However, fortunately, the water only reached the yard, not yet entering the classrooms.

So today, in addition to cleaning the school yard, the school staff and teachers also had to move all equipment, tables, chairs, and books from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor and rearrange them to be ready to welcome students.

Schools have taken the initiative to use fire hoses to push mud out of the schoolyard. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

Because the entire area was flooded, parents had to take advantage of the receding water to clean their houses and could not come to help the school, so the Thanh Tri District Department of Education and Training asked officials and teachers from schools that were not flooded to join hands to support schools affected by Typhoon Yagi.

“By this afternoon, the cleaning and sanitation work has been basically completed. According to the plan, during the two days of the weekend, flooded schools will be sprayed with disinfectant so that students can return on Monday,” Ms. Thao said.

At Duyen Ha Primary School, Ms. Pham Thanh Huyen, the school’s principal, said that the school only has about 20 teachers, but this morning dozens of teachers from other schools came to support. Because the water receded too quickly, there was not enough time to stir up the mud with the tide, Ms. Huyen said that there was quite a lot of mud left. Although the school mobilized 10 high-powered car washers, it was still ineffective.

“We had to use fire hoses to push the mud out of the school yard. This initiative was later adopted by other schools, helping to clean up faster and cleaner,” said Ms. Huyen.

Duyen Ha Primary School has also completed moving tables and chairs from the second floor to the first floor, rearranging classrooms, and preparing for disinfection spraying that will take place over the weekend so that students can return on Monday.

For schools, next Monday, the new school year will really begin./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ha-noi-thay-co-giao-thuc-dem-canh-nuoc-rut-soi-den-pin-de-don-truong-post976651.vnp