Unity in Flood Control and Disaster Relief | "Saving the People Can't Wait for a Moment" - The Frontline of Flood Control and Disaster Relief in Shangzhi City, Heilongjiang Province Directly Attacks the Affected | Villagers | Disaster Relief
Day and night, we have been steadfastly guarding the front line of flood control, making every effort to evacuate the affected people, building flood control embankments overnight, and accelerating the restoration and reconstruction... In recent days, Shangzhi City in Heilongjiang Province has been severely affected by heavy rainfall caused by Typhoon "Dussuri", and 17 townships in the city have been affected to varying degrees. Local cadres and masses, armed police officers and soldiers and social forces went against the trend in the rainstorm, and made every effort to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.
"First protect the people"
On August 1st, Shangzhi City launched a Level 4 emergency response for flood prevention and issued an emergency notice to combat heavy rainfall weather; At 15:00 on the 2nd, it was adjusted to Level 3 emergency response; At 15:00 on the 4th, it was upgraded to level one emergency response. Starting from the 2nd, the city will suspend classes, work, production, operation, and business... Heavy rain will pour down, and dangerous situations will continue. The water level at the Shangzhi Station of the Ant River, a major tributary on the right bank of the Songhua River, will rise sharply.
On the evening of the 3rd, a low lying area of 16000 square kilometers, including the Shangzhi City Government Building and surrounding communities, adjacent to the east bank of the Ant River, experienced severe waterlogging. The flood almost instantly surged into the government building, with accumulated water exceeding half a meter, and the entire building was cut off from water and electricity.
On August 11th, firefighters from the Harbin Forest Fire Brigade were clearing roads near Shangzhi Street in Shangzhi City, Heilongjiang Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Tao
"First protect the people, then protect the party and government organs." The Shangzhi City Flood Control and Drought Relief Command made a decisive decision and urgently deployed rescue and disaster relief work. Government officials went to the front line of rescue and disaster relief overnight, and moved the Flood Control and Drought Relief Command to the conference room of the Shangzhi City Finance Bureau. After analysis, the high-risk areas will be further expanded, and the masses will be organized to relocate and evacuate in advance.
"Follow me!" Shangzhi Town suffered from severe waterlogging. Upon receiving instructions from superiors, the Secretary of the Textile Community Party Committee, Hou Dezhi, immediately organized staff to rush to the front line of the community. While inspecting the damage to the house, transport the trapped people to a safe location; While quickly dredging the groundwater pipeline, they used flood control pumps to pump out the accumulated water in the community... After six hours of continuous fighting, they rescued 137 residents in a row.
The sound of rain is the whistle, and the flood situation is the command. Like the textile community, the relevant villages and communities in Shangzhi City took emergency actions, using methods such as guidance, segmented search and rescue, grouping and cooperation, and relay transfer to overnight transfer difficult populations. 20806 people were properly resettled.
At noon on the 11th, the reporter came to Shangzhi Municipal Government. The water in the surrounding communities had been drained, but there was still dozens of centimeters of water in the basement of the government building and the street in front of the gate. With the help of forklifts, the firefighters took shovel to clean the mud on the road. "At critical moments, it is necessary to distinguish the importance and urgency. The prevention and disposal of government agencies and courtyards can be slow, but saving the people cannot wait for a moment. Priority should be given to ensuring the safety of the people," said Liu Haitao, Secretary of the Shangzhi Municipal Party Committee.
"Take immediate action upon receiving the task"
Multiple hydrological stations have exceeded the warning water level limit; Communication obstruction and traffic interruption in multiple villages; The Ant River has surged in volume, causing the abutment of Mayan Bridge to collapse; The main urban area is severely flooded, with garages flooded and vehicles flooded... From August 2nd to 5th, the disaster situation in Shangzhi City continued to escalate.
"The flood overflowed the embankment and poured into the towns and surrounding villages, which is urgent," said Du Zhaoheng, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Shangzhi City. Local officials and people rushed to reinforce the embankment in the weak section of the dangerous construction. In just ten hours, a 3.5-kilometer-long embankment was built, which bought time for personnel transfer and prevented significant damage to infrastructure.
On August 11th, workers carried out construction work at the repair site of Mayan Bridge in Mayan Township, Shangzhi City, Heilongjiang Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Tao
"The Mayan Bridge collapsed on the 3rd, and in the early morning of the 6th, the flood slowly receded. We took immediate action upon receiving the task." On the 11th, at the Mayan Bridge repair site, Zhang Nairui, Safety Director of the Shangwu Project Management Department of China Railway Fourth Bureau Group Road and Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd., told reporters that after the project team entered the site, it was found that the bridge abutment slope protection and bridge head slab were washed away, and sand and reinforced concrete were used for backfilling and protection. The entire repair will be completed by the end of the month.
Yabuli Town Water Plant has resumed water supply, Yifangpo Town Water Plant has resumed power supply, Weihe Town Water Plant has determined repair plans, and 416 damaged rural water supply projects have achieved water supply for 410... In the past ten days, the People's Liberation Army, the People's Armed Police Force, firefighting, medical and health, communication support, transportation and other emergency support teams have rushed and bravely charged forward, bringing good news one after another.
"What is lost will come back"
On the 11th, the wind was refreshing and the sunlight was just right. At the emergency repair site on the banks of the Ant River in Yabuli Town, Shangzhi City, trucks loaded with sand and gravel materials entered the construction site, and large machinery was working intensively. Dozens of "soldiers" wearing life jackets carried sandbags, carried them, and stacked them in an orderly manner, raising the dam.
"We are still in a critical period, and we need to establish a ledger for key areas. All work needs to be more rigorous and meticulous." Liu Shumao, Secretary of the Party Committee of Yabuli Town, said that in response to Typhoon "Kanu", Yabuli Town will distribute flood prevention materials to various villages and resettlement points, and the town government staff will continue to stay in each village, fully preparing for the battle.
On August 11th, villagers in Yuanbao Village, Yuanbao Town, Shangzhi City, Heilongjiang Province cleaned up the mud left on the walls of their houses after the flood. Photo by Yang Siqi, journalist from Xinhua News Agency
Around the hot issues of public concern, Shangzhi City has launched disaster statistics work, verifying the situation of affected farmers and enterprises on a household by household basis, providing targeted guidance on a one-on-one basis, and organizing farmers to carry out timely production self rescue. Gong Yanbin, secretary of the Party Committee of Shangzhi Town, Shangzhi City, said that as the flood subsided, production and life restoration work such as desilting, disinfection and sterilization, road bridge and culvert repair, and agricultural disaster reduction were being carried out.
On the morning of the 11th, the reporter arrived at Yuanbao Village, Yuanbao Town, Shangzhi City. A 48 year old villager, Yu Fenglan, was wiping the kang and tabletop that had been washed away by floods at home with a cloth. She recalled that on the morning of the 3rd, water rushed into the door and she and her lover rushed to their relatives' homes. After the flood, they immediately began repairing the courtyard and houses. A few days passed, and the house welcomed brand new flooring and doors and windows.
"No matter how much disaster you suffer, you have to get by. As long as you work hard, what you lose will come back," she said.
