Flood in Myanmar: Hidden Dangers

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0:56It's September 11th. 2024. In the Shan province of eastern Myanmar, a small mountain town is slowly disappearing beneath a torrent of brown floodwater. The local river, swelled by days of torrential rain, has burst its banks. It now spills outwards, forming an unbridgeable swathe that surges through the town. Buildings, entire streets are swept away as the ground beneath their concrete foundations dissolves into liquid mud. Trees are uprooted and sucked downstream, branches thrashing like drowning limbs. In the churning mass, bulky items tumble and swirl. Tuk-tuks and motorcycles, brick walls and chain-link fences, items of furniture and household belongings, all are borne along by the fierce current.

1:53In the chaos, terrified townspeople seek refuge. Some huddle on the few remaining rooftops still visible above the water. Others shimmy up telephone poles or string together life rafts out of plastic bottles and rope. A few, meanwhile, have been left with no choice but to pit their own strength against that of the flood and swim for their lives. Among them are 26-year-old Joel Hoffman and his brother Silas. The two men struggle against the deluge, fighting to keep their heads above the rampaging debris-filled water. We're now in the middle of this flood. We're surrounded by debris, hidden dangers, fallen fences and collapsed buildings.

2:43There's barbed wire underwater. That's when things like really start kicking and like, okay, now we're in danger. Joel flails his limbs, trying to retain some degree of control. But it's futile. The current whisks the brothers along, dragging them at full tilt through the flooded town. There's a crunch and a sudden sharp stabbing sensation as Joel collides with a tangle of tree branches. He instinctively grabs a handful of leaves and twigs, grateful for the brief respite from the current, an opportunity to catch his breath. Seconds later, however, he feels a fiery pain in his hands. The tree is full of thorns, little needles that scratch his skin and tear at his clothes.

3:35Every single tree in our path was like a thorn tree, and so we're like getting catapulted by the current into these like thorn trees but you're like well i don't want to hold on to this but i also don't want to get pulled along by the current clinging for dear life somewhere nearby above the roar of the flood he can hear silas calling his name asking him if he's all right joel yells back assuring his brother that he's still with him but after battling these floodwaters for hours his body is spent and as he clings desperately to this thorny tree as the The current continues to claw at him, pulling and tugging from below.

4:12How much longer can he hold on? At the end of a workout where you're trying to lift, even just trying to get up, it's like your muscles are done and your mind's like, well, I should be able to do this. But our body's like, no, we're not doing this. We can't do this anymore. It definitely felt like, oh, I'm very close to my body just giving out.

4:38Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode, we meet Joel Hoffman. In 2024, he's living in the mountains of Myanmar, where his elder brother Silas runs a small Christian charity. Joel spends his days working with locals, trying to make life here easier if he can. But when a tropical typhoon unleashes catastrophic flooding on their quiet rural town, two brothers will find themselves thrust into a terrifying new position of responsibility.

5:25We're two able-bodied young men. We know how to swim. That's more than pretty much anyone else in the town. We're in a position where we can maybe help some people in the midst of this. Joel and Silas venture out into the flood to lend a hand. But what they find is utter mayhem, a chaotic scene of panic, fear, and destruction. The brothers will face collapsing buildings, hidden hazards, and utter confusion. And when the flood cuts off their only route back home, where they have family waiting for them, the stakes are raised once again. It's time to sink or swim. And I could feel the current, like, pulling my legs under this kind of clump of debris.

6:09You're fighting for your life. You're trying to think of how do I get to safety? How do I keep surviving? What can we do next? How do we get through this? I'm John Hopkins. From the Noiser Podcast Network, this is Real Survival Stories.

6:43It's the evening of September the 9th, 2024, in Southeast Asia. Across the Shan province of eastern Myanmar, heavy rain drums against the corrugated metal rooftops of a small mountain town. For days now, much of Southeast Asia has been swamped by torrential downpours, as tropical typhoon Yagi works its way across the region. Low-lying areas have already experienced severe flooding, but up here in the mountains, the steep valleys act like drainage canals, providing the rainwater with somewhere to go. Still, the river that runs through the center of the town has seldom risen this high before, or prompting unease among some local residents.

7:27If it continues to rise, it could burst its banks. And in a region with very little infrastructure to deal with floods, the consequences could be dire. A short distance uphill from the river, 26-year-old Joel Hoffman runs through the rain-drenched streets, his jacket pulled over his head. For the last few days, he's been keeping a close eye on the typhoon as it barrels towards Myanmar. He's heard the reports of devastating flooding in coastal areas of Vietnam. But where they are this high up in the mountains, the threat still feels remote.

8:05We were like not worried at all. We're in the mountains. You don't get floods in a mountain. That's kind of, I don't know, that feels like somewhat conventional wisdom. The water goes downhill. Why would there be a flood in our town? on. Joel splashes his way down a narrow residential street. Eventually, he arrives at the place he's called home since arriving here last summer, a small wooden house raised off the ground by a slab of thick cement. He steps inside. He removes his waterlogged trainers and socks, then heads upstairs for a hot shower and a change of clothes.

8:44Though he's only lived here in Myanmar for a little over a year, Joel has become accustomed to life in this bustling market town. It's something he's always been good at, adapting to new environments, due in no small part to his upbringing. He is the son of Christian missionaries, whose work still takes them all over the world, from Germany, where Joel was born, to India, Australia, Greece. I had a very adventurous childhood, You know, like sitting on the top of cars, flying to new places, being in what some would consider like unreasonably hostile places. I grew up in India for like the first eight years of my life.

9:24Early 2000s, India was a lot more dangerous than it is now. And so I think growing up, I was OK with adventure and feeling unsafe, if that makes sense. being used to constant changes and paradigm shifts and culture and background and environment has, I think, definitely helped me to feel ready in a moment where everything's changed in the course of like a day. Now, aged 26, Joel has followed in his parents' footsteps. After spending a few years doing missionary work in Canada, he came out here to Myanmar, where his older brother Silas runs a small Christian organization in the mountains of the Shan province.

10:07In a country blighted by social and political unrest, the work they do is challenging. The brokenness in the country is extreme. It's a really broken society, a lot of broken families. So the young people are the ones that are really suffering. Because the saddest part is they all have smartphones and the internet. They see what's out there, and yet for most of them it feels totally unattainable to even travel or to just visit one other country or to have a home and a career that's somewhat fulfilling. Realistically, a lot of our work was just navigating the chaos. It genuinely felt like every week, it was like, oh, what's changed?

10:46What's the new playing field? What can we do in this? It did feel at times very discouraging because everything you're planning on doing, it felt like it always was taken away. But there are, of course, rewarding aspects too, like working with local kids and setting up support programs. Joel's brother Silas lives here permanently with his wife and three children. He has established the mission in a remote, rural town. My brother's been there for over a decade. There's a balance between sharing faith, but also being practically helpful. And so a big part of what they're doing is community development projects and education projects.

11:28And so that's why I joined them, just to help them out and spend some time there. Joel makes himself as useful as he can. But he hasn't found his time here easy for a variety of reasons. And now he's feeling the need for a change. A few months ago, he made the difficult decision to leave Myanmar for Australia, where he hopes to do something different for a while. He'll be getting on a plane in a few weeks' time. It'll be tough parting with his family and the many local people he's met, but it feels like the right decision. A fresh start in a place with more people his own age who speak his language where he won't feel so isolated.

12:08I was with family, but there's still a sense of loneliness where, you know, I'm the only young person of my culture there who I can talk with and, like, to think as simple as, you know, play board games with or watch a movie with so that kind of a missing friendship definitely weighed on me it was a sense of like loneliness there which i think was one of the main things that was really hard was just feeling very lonely

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15:03It's around 5pm on September the 10th. Joel sits in his brother's small kitchen, watching the rain lash against the windowpane. Silas is checking the weather reports on his phone. Silas is a decade older than Joel, but despite this significant age gap, the two brothers share a close bond. He's ten years older, so I've looked up to him my whole life. He's the cool older brother that would take me to the arcade, and there's a unique relationship there. All day, Joel has been keeping tabs on the water levels outside, watching the rain collect in the street. The separate puddles gradually joining up to form large, muddy lakes.

15:44The pavements slowly sinking from view. You're starting to monitor it in the back of your head. Like, well, let's keep an eye on this. It's still raining. But at that time, we still felt, well, the water should have somewhere to go. And it was moving. Despite the continuing rain, the floodwater in the streets does appear to be draining away. One advantage of living in the mountains is that everything eventually flows downhill. But then, just as the sun is beginning to set, a power cut plunges the room into darkness. Joel and Silas look at each other. Has the flood brought down a utility pole? Could rainwater have seeped into the power supply?

16:26Whatever the case, it's a troubling development. At least they still have cell service. Silas lights a candle, and in the flickering glow, the brothers start sending out texts, keeping their loved ones abreast of the developing situation. We're like texting our family, we're overseas, hey, you know, there's some flooding here, the power's gone out. And then suddenly, I don't know, maybe like around 8, 9pm, the internet cuts out completely and there's no cell service. We're essentially cut off from the rest of the world in that moment. This remote place suddenly seems more remote than ever. After eating dinner at his brother's, Joel makes the five-minute walk back to his own house.

17:09Rainwater spills beyond the gutters, forming two torrents on either side of the road. He sticks to the single dry strip of dirt running between them, picking his way carefully in the dark. The town they live in sprawls across two sides of a lush mountain valley, with houses reaching high up the opposing slopes. Joel and Silas live partway up one of these slopes, but there are many who live further down, closer to the river, where the flooding must be more severe. As he walks, he looks down the hill. The entire town has been plunged into darkness by the power outage. He can't see a thing. He quickens his pace, anxious to get home and dry.

18:00The following day brings no let-up from the rain. Still, without cell service, Joel spends the morning watching the flood levels rise in the street. Despite the evident seriousness of the emergency, there is no official word from the state authorities. Where things started getting dangerous was there's no official communication going out of like, hey, through these areas, go to somewhere safe, or things like that, where there was just none of that whatsoever. But Joel is less concerned for his own safety than for the people who live next to the river. They're the ones facing the most immediate danger.

18:37Just before noon, he wades up the road to Silas' house. There, the two brothers begin discussing whether they should head down the hill to see if anyone needs their help. Around midday, I meet up with my brother who kind of decides we're in a position where we can maybe help some people in the midst of this. Another thing about living in the mountains, hundreds of miles from any coast, is that most of the locals here can't swim. Joel and Silas are no Olympians, but they're both able enough in the water. If they don't try to help, who will? And so the brothers start getting themselves ready. They gather together what few useful supplies they can lay their hands on.

19:21Then, after saying goodbye to Silas' wife and children, they head out into the flood. He had brought one of his kids' pool floaties, like a little yellow swim ring, because that was the only flotation device we had. We didn't have life jackets or anything. We had a couple of ropes that we found lying around. I think I had a first aid kit. We were just like, well, this is what we have. But we're two able-bodied young men. We know how to swim, which that's more than pretty much anyone else in the town. With their scant gear in tow, and with little understanding of what lies ahead, they set off across town.

19:57We had local friends from the churches and people we'd work with who we knew were to be close to the river so we were like, oh, okay, well, they probably need some help to evacuate their homes and save some of their possessions. It's not like there's flood insurance there. A lot of these people, everything they have is in their home. As the brothers approach the bottom of the hill, they begin to get a clearer picture of this unraveling disaster. It's complete pandemonium. The river has swelled to several times its usual size, engulfing the streets that lie nearest to it, inundating shops and houses.

20:31Hordes of people stream outside, wading through the ankle-deep water, carrying young children and bags of belongings in their arms. Trucks and motorcycles plow through the deluge, seizing their chance to escape before the flood rises any further. There isn't an official anywhere in sight. Fortunately, the river hasn't yet risen above the main bridge. Joel and Silas cross it, then make their way to the houses of some friends nearby. And we're able to help some friends evacuate. I remember moving chunks of water through some flooding streets, pushing some bikes to get it up to higher ground and things like that, and helping people get situated somewhere with other friends in other churches where they could at least stay dry and have some food and things like that.

21:18Once their friends are safely positioned on higher ground, Joel and Silas turn around and head for home. Two hours have passed, and the flood water has risen to their wastes. They wade back towards the bridge they crossed earlier. But before they can get there, they're flagged down by a gaggle of local schoolchildren shouting and waving their arms. They asked us to help because there were some people trapped in the school. It's along like one of the main roads, a two-story building. The ground floor is almost entirely underwater. And there was these two guys stuck on the second floor, couldn't swim, and they were trapped there.

22:00The brothers are exhausted from their earlier efforts. And with the flood getting worse, they need to get home. The bridge back to the other side of the town is still visible, but only by a few inches. If it disappears, they'll have no way to get back. Still, they can't just leave these helpless people trapped. And so, with one last glance at the bridge, they turn and head towards the school.

22:32It's about an hour later. Joel and Silas have strung a length of rope from the street to the school building, where two men are trapped on the second story. The current surges around Joel as he feels his way along the slippery line, foul-smelling floodwater lapping at his face. We're starting to get tired and the dangers start becoming realities. We're like, okay, you know, this water is totally brown. We're swimming in sewage, basically. Most of the housing have, like, cesspits. And so all these tanks obviously are flooded and now mixing in with this flood water, which is already dirty. We're swimming in that.

23:11There's like furniture floating by, getting caught in the rope. Eventually, palms roar and arms shaking, they reach the school building. The stranded men inside are terrified, shivering violently in their sodden shorts and t-shirts. With reassuring words and gestures, the two brothers guide the men into the water, then steer them gently back along the rope. As we're getting these two guys across, we're like yelling at them like, is there anyone else stuck here that you know that needs help as well? And they didn't like, no, no, it's just us, just us. They escort the two men to a safer spot. But just when they think their work might be done, they hear something.

23:56Turns out there is a second school building, partially hidden by the first. And in this second building, there is a huddle of about ten people, a mixture of adults and children, all screaming and waving their arms from the second floor as the rising water threatens to sweep them away. Joel and Silas grimly set about repeating the arduous process. They swim across with a rope, secure it in place, then begin escorting the terrified people across the watery divide. We set up one bridge from like the street to the first building. And then from that first building to the second building, we set up another rope to kind of help people pull them along.

24:37We start with the women and children, like the Titanic, you know, women and children first. We bury them across and it's very hard. They're panicked. They don't even know the sensation of being submerged in water totally. And so they're like holding onto the rope and clinging to everything for dear life while we're trying to like pull them along. But then there's a language barrier as well. It's chaotic, noisy, a melee of frantic, rain-soaked limbs. Joel and Silas coax and cajole, urging the townspeople along the rope. At last they manage to shepherd all the women and children safely to the other side.

25:17There are still a few men stranded in the school. The two brothers are completely spent.

25:27Ultimately, they are forced to make a tough decision. We're able to get the women and children to safety and then end up abandoning the men. We're so physically tired by this point, like struggling to keep myself above water, because you're constantly fighting against the current. If they go back again, the risk to their own lives is enormous. And so, exhausted and soaked to the bone, Joel and Silas wade back towards the bridge. But when they get there, they make an alarming discovery. The bridge, the only safe route to the other side, is gone, submerged beneath the roiling flood. The brothers stare at the yawning expanse of water, its turbid brown surface pockmarked by heavy rain.