Fighting Floods and Defending Homeland - A Report from the Frontline of Flood Control and Disaster Relief in Harbin, Zhao Yan | City | Harbin

Harbin, the Songhua River passes through the city, with fertile fields spanning thousands of miles on both sides. In recent days, typhoons "Dussuri" and "Kanu" have brought rare historical floods, and the flood prevention situation is extremely severe.

Strong drainage of water, reinforcement of embankments, relocation and resettlement... Local party committees and governments at all levels quickly mobilized various forces to coordinate the response to flood invasion and post disaster reconstruction.

Fearless of danger, charging on the front line

Since August 1st, heavy rainfall has hit Harbin, causing a sudden increase in flood control pressure in river basins such as Songhua River, Ant River, and Lalin River. Multiple hydrological stations have exceeded the warning water level. Flood disasters occurred in 9 cities and counties under the jurisdiction of Harbin, including Wuchang, Shangzhi, Shuangcheng, Yanshou, Fangzheng, and Yilan.

At about 2:00 a.m. on the 3rd, rainstorm suddenly fell in Jifeng Village, Laojieji Township, Shangzhi City. Upon learning that some residents were unable to evacuate in time, Zhang Yan, the captain of the First Squadron of the Shangzhi Public Security Bureau's Patrol Special Police Brigade, rushed upstream to rescue them. At that time, the lights were dim, the road surface was waterlogged above knee level, and the water flow was turbid and turbulent. He and his colleagues risked danger and went back and forth multiple times, rescuing more than 20 residents.

Some farmland and roads in Yanshou County, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province have been flooded. Shen Jizhong

"We can't wait for a minute to race against floods," said Zhao Yan, director of the Emergency Management Bureau of Shangzhi City. This round of heavy rainfall has caused varying degrees of damage to 17 townships in the city. The city has established a leadership group and 7 special teams to cope with extreme weather, and has transferred and resettled a total of 20806 people.

On the evening of the 7th, in Yonghe Village, Handian Town, Shuangcheng District, near the Lalin River, yellow mud soup rolled in. Yang Zhaowen, the secretary of the village party branch, urgently called on the villagers to build a 680 meter long protective belt overnight and assign a dedicated person to be responsible for inspection. "Where there is a piping, there is a need to raise it. We must rush in the first time to compete with the rainstorm," said Yang Zhaowen.

Wuchang City is a well-known hometown of high-quality rice, and multiple towns along the banks of the Mangniu River and Lalin River, as well as Shahezi Town and Chonghe Town, have been affected by the disaster. Du Ping, Secretary of the Wuchang Municipal Party Committee, said that the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government will transform two high schools in the city into centralized resettlement sites, and establish transfer resettlement groups, material support groups, health management groups, psychological counseling groups, medical treatment groups, and logistics support groups to create a "safe haven" for the disaster stricken population.

Prepare in advance and play the first move well

Compared to previous years, the flood season this time has come in a big and urgent manner, thanks to our early preparation. Yilan County is located at the confluence of the Songhua River and the Mudan River. Starting from the end of July, the Hongqi Livestock Farm has set up defenses early.

Director Song Chunzhe said that in the past 10 days, more than 600 cadres and groups have shouldered and built a 1.5-kilometer-long dam. Flood prevention and rescue work, such as developing contingency plans, preparing materials, and forming assault teams, have been carried out simultaneously, and nearly 10000 acres of fertile land have been safely protected.

The main leaders of the Harbin Municipal Party Committee and Government stated that in the face of rare flood situations, the city adheres to the principle of putting people first and life first, and strives to make solid emergency preparations for flood prevention, typhoon prevention, and disaster relief, striving to minimize losses and resolutely safeguarding the safety of people's lives and property.

On August 5th, firefighters from the Harbin Forest Fire Brigade transferred stranded residents in Yanshou County, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Yichen

The reporter saw in several cities, counties, and districts where floods occurred, such as Wuchang and Shangzhi, that local leaders at the municipal level of Harbin were stationed and guaranteed to analyze and judge the flood situation in key areas and areas. Once a flood situation occurs, it is necessary to ensure that all transfers and evasions should be made, all transfers must be made, and all transfers should be made early.

Fill up sandbags, shoulder them, and move forward at high speed... At noon on the 8th, more than 800 officers and soldiers dressed in camouflage suits and life jackets built a two kilometer long "White Great Wall" of white sandbags in Wanlong Township, Shuangcheng District, Harbin City. They are strictly guarded against the dangers of embankment surges and river breaches, and only rest for an average of two to three hours a day.

Affected by "Kanu", Harbin experienced another significant rainfall process from the night of the 11th to the day of the 13th. More than 700 employees of Harbin Water Development Group have been sticking to the flood season for 37 hours, conducting further inspections and cleaning of the pipeline network, as well as allocating resources to key areas such as underpasses, bridges and culverts, low-lying sections, and areas prone to waterlogging, to fully prevent risks and ensure urban safety.

Every minute counts, fighting against disasters and ensuring harvest

Disaster relief and post disaster reconstruction are a major test for the Party committees and governments at all levels in Harbin, and they are also the most concerned and urgent issues for the people in the disaster area.

"Rice is in the period of heading and flowering, and floods have caused a great blow. One minute of early drainage can give rice more hope of flowering and grouting." At the Xinhe Organic Rice Professional Cooperative in Yanshou County, the chairman of the cooperative, Yao Hongliang, is leading members to drain the flooded rice fields, organize drones to spray foliar fertilizer and anti rice blast drugs, and do everything in their power to increase production.

On August 11th, staff from the Agricultural Technology Extension Center in Shangzhi City, Heilongjiang Province, inspected the condition of rice in a flooded rice field. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Tao

Blood pressure measurement, heart auscultation, Chinese medicine health guidance, one-on-one question answering, free distribution of disease prevention drugs... On the 12th, Fangzheng County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine sent 10 business backbones of internal medicine, surgery, acupuncture and moxibustion massage department, rehabilitation physiotherapy department to Tianmen Township on the south bank of the Songhua River to carry out free clinics, and local disaster victims can enjoy medical treatment services without leaving the township.

"The urgent needs and expectations of the affected people are the starting point and foothold of current work," said Gao Shouxing, Deputy County Magistrate of Fangzheng County. The county has established a planned transfer personnel ledger involving 4 townships, 11 villages, and 1315 people, formed a disaster investigation team, and investigated the disaster situation from household to household to ensure that the lives of the affected people are guaranteed and production is restored in an orderly manner.

"Pay close attention to drainage and prevent rice blast disease", "Pay attention to the weather and spray foliar fertilizer appropriately", "If you can grab it, you must grab it..." In recent days, the flood has gradually subsided, and agricultural technology experts from provinces, cities, counties, and townships have rushed to various villages in the disaster stricken areas to guide farmers to seize the window period and carry out self rescue. A battle against disasters and ensuring harvests is underway.