Focus Interview | Striving for Risk and Advancing the Path of "Island" | Villagers | Focus Interview

Affected by Typhoon Du Suri, Laishui in Hebei Province was hit by heavy rainfall, sudden flash floods and mudslides caused some houses in mountain villages to be destroyed, roads, electricity, and communication to be interrupted, and many villagers were trapped, becoming "isolated islands" at one point. Although the road is difficult and dangerous, it cannot stop the rescue team's footsteps. From transporting supplies to transferring villagers, various forms of rescue continue. On August 9th, the reporter followed the officers and soldiers of the Baoding Detachment of the Hebei Armed Police Force to Xiagang Village, Longmen Township, Laishui, Hebei Province, which was severely affected by the disaster.

On the morning of August 9th, the Party Secretary of Longmen Township, Laishui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province, was working with rescue personnel from the Baoding Detachment of the Hebei Armed Police Force to develop a plan for transporting supplies to the trapped Xiagang Village.

Laishui County, Hebei Province is located in the central western part of Hebei Province, at the northern end of the Taihang Mountains, with a mountainous area.

Affected by Typhoon Du Suri, heavy rainfall continued in Laishui County from July 29th to August 1st. Rivers such as Juma River, Nanjuma River, Yishui River, and Xiaoxi River in Laishui County experienced a surge in water levels, leading to flood hazards.

Longmen Township, located deep in the Taihang Mountains in the northwest of Laishui County, is one of the most severely affected townships. Many bridges have been washed away, roads have been cut off, and communication and power have been cut off in multiple villages.

The task of the 20 soldiers from the Baoding Detachment of the Hebei Armed Police Force on this trip is to transport daily necessities for the villagers who remain in the village, and to confirm whether there are any villagers who need assistance in transporting them out.

Many places along the way have experienced mudslides and landslides, making it difficult to move forward. At a distance of 4 kilometers from Xiagang Village, the road ahead collapsed severely and vehicles were unable to pass. The soldiers decided to unload the supplies, carry them on their shoulders, and walk into the village.

The road after the collapse was almost fragmented, making it very difficult to walk even without carrying a heavy load. This team of only 20 people has to transport 64 barrels of oil, 300 kilograms of noodles, 400 kilograms of rice, and over 200 kilograms of vegetables. The soldiers each have to bear a weight of tens of kilograms each time, but can only transport a portion of them. In order to deliver all these supplies to the villagers, they need to travel back and forth multiple times on the dangerous road.

This is the fourth time these 20 soldiers have come to Xiagang Village. After losing contact with the outside world in Xiagang Village, on August 5th, these 20 soldiers opened up roads and advanced into Xiagang Village to rescue and transfer villagers, bringing supplies to the trapped villagers and bringing hope to the villagers.

In order to send as much supplies as possible to the villagers, the soldiers have reached their limit in terms of their burden.

Heavy supplies left bloodstains on the shoulders of the soldiers, but no one stopped to rest for even a minute. To alleviate the pain, the soldiers placed mineral water bottles on their shoulders and continued forward.

There were constant dangers along the way, not only climbing mountains, but also crossing rivers. The river flowed rapidly and was filled with rocks rolling down from the mountains. To avoid soaking flour and rice in water, the soldiers are very careful at every step.

After nearly three hours of arduous trek, the soldiers finally delivered the first batch of supplies to the entrance of Xiagang Village, where village officials had already been waiting to receive them.

Because there were still supplies to be transported, the soldiers rested for less than ten minutes before quickly turning back.

Just as the soldiers were transporting supplies to the village for the second time, they encountered a patient in urgent need of transportation. This elderly person is 68 years old this year. Due to poor health and limited mobility, he had never planned to evacuate before. But these past few days, the old problem of lumbar disc herniation has occurred, and the pain is unbearable. We urgently need to go out for medical treatment.

The communication in the mountains has not yet been restored, so the squad leader decided to send a soldier to cross the mountain as soon as possible and contact the hospital to send an ambulance to provide support. The soldiers first transport the elderly outside, transfer them to places where ambulances can reach, and then return to continue transporting supplies.

The old man had severe pain in his waist and was unable to carry him out. The village party secretary, Zhihui, quickly took the person to find a stretcher. During the time waiting for the stretcher, soldier Fang Lele comforted the old man.

Fifteen minutes later, the stretcher arrived. Fang Lele and another soldier untied their belts and joined them together to create a simple restraining strap, trying to secure the elderly and reduce pain as much as possible.

In order to avoid exacerbating the pain of the elderly due to turbulence, soldiers try to choose relatively gentle river channels to wade through. When walking on the road with more rolling stones, the soldiers bent over and almost squatted forward.

The soldiers met with the doctors who came to pick up the elderly and took them to the ambulance.

After more than 7 hours and three round-trip trips, 20 soldiers finally delivered all the supplies to the villagers.

This has been four consecutive days of soldiers transporting supplies to the villagers, and they have to turn back multiple times every day. Each time, they have to cross mountains and mountains, which is extremely difficult. The villagers are both moved and heartbroken.

This continuous heavy rainfall has caused 15 townships and 284 villages in Laishui County, Hebei Province to be affected, with a disaster area of 2.3 million mu and a population of over 170000.

As of now, more than 400 public security officers, 250 firefighting and rescue personnel, more than 120 armed police officers and soldiers, more than 4000 militia members, and 12000 professional teams have been deployed to flood control and disaster relief in Laishui County.

Without hesitation and charging ahead, these young men are simple and steadfast. people first, life first In this Beijing Tianjin Hebei disaster relief process, various rescue forces worked together, cooperated and selflessly contributed, and many rescue scenes were touching. Behind these unforgettable moments are the full support of relevant departments, the joint efforts of the military and civilians, and the active assistance from all over the country. The post disaster reconstruction work is also being carried out synchronously, and we still need everyone to work together to overcome difficulties.

Editor | Ma Yimeng Fan Heling

Camera | Fu Peng

Editing | Zhao Peng and Tong Yongjie