Xinhua News Agency+| Building a Line of Defense for the People's Life Safety - Tianjin Flood Control and Discharge Site Directly Attacks the Vocational Education Center of Wuqing District, Tianjin | Flood Situation | Tianjin

Within the Tianjin Emergency Rescue Command Center, there are frequent phone calls reporting the flood situation.

At 22:10 on August 1st, the flood head of Yongding River reached Shaoqi Embankment in Wuqing District, Tianjin, marking the official start of the flood prevention and defense battle in Tianjin. This is also the top priority of the "Tianjin Guard at the Bottom of the Nine Rivers" flood prevention campaign.

On August 1st, in Shaoqidi Village, Huanghuadian Town, Wuqing District, Tianjin, public security personnel and village volunteers joined forces to patrol and guard at the height of the riverbank. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fanyue

Since July 28, the Haihe River Basin has experienced heavy to rainstorm, and local extremely heavy rainstorm. On July 31st, the emergency response for flood disaster prevention of Tianjin Water Bureau was upgraded to level I. With the increase of flood discharge in the upper reaches of Yongding River, Daqing River, and Ziya River, the water level of rivers in Tianjin is gradually rising. Wuqing District and Beichen District of Tianjin immediately organized the relocation and resettlement of personnel in the Yongding River flood area, as well as various tasks such as embankment defense. As of now, Tianjin has completed the relocation and resettlement of more than 35000 people in the Yongding River flood area.

Shaoqidi Village is located at the border of Wuqing District, Tianjin and Langfang City, Hebei Province. It is the first stop for the Yongding River to enter Tianjin. When the reporter arrived at the village on the afternoon of August 1st, the villagers had already been transferred, and only the party branch secretary and village committee director Kou Zhiming led a few village cadres to stay in the vast village. "Knocking on doors door to door over and over again to ensure the transfer of personnel is complete. It also helps to keep an eye on the situation of each household and make everyone feel at ease," Kou Zhiming said.

Standing on the northern riverbank of Shaoqidi Village with one foot of water and one foot of mud, the turbid water flow accelerates its rise. The lower part of the riverbank is temporarily raised with sandbags, and several village officials are patrolling back and forth along the riverbank to ensure that dangerous situations can be detected and dealt with as soon as possible.

On August 1st, in Shaoqidi Village, Huanghuadian Town, Wuqing District, Tianjin, village volunteers patrolled the riverbank. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fanyue

On the afternoon of July 31st, Zhang Mengjiao, a fifth grade student from Dahuangbao Town, Wuqing District, came with her family to stay at the temporary resettlement site of the Vocational Education Center in Wuqing District. On the list of people in the temporary resettlement site, the reporter saw that 557 people from the Dahuangbao flood storage and detention area and the Yongding River floodplain have been transferred here.

Approaching noon, Chen Yuntao, the director of the Wuqing District Vocational Education Center, who was on duty at the resettlement site, rushed to the cafeteria to check the preparation of lunch. The four happiness meatballs and stir fried cauliflower had just been cooked. "Three meals a day should not only be in sufficient quantity, but also use fresh vegetables, meat and eggs." Chen Yuntao said, "Let the people come here to eat well.".

On August 1st, at the temporary resettlement site of the Vocational Education Center in Wuqing District, Tianjin, staff prepared lunch for the transferred personnel. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fanyue

The latest news from the Flood Control and Drought Relief Command of Wuqing District shows that more than 45000 people in the key flood control areas of the district, including the Dahuangbaowa Flood Diversion Area and the Yongding River Flood Control Area, have completed their relocation.

The Yongding River floodplain covers an area of 16.94 square kilometers in Beichen District, Tianjin. On the banks of the Beiyun River near Shuangjie Town in Beichen District, construction workers used sandbags to build a dam over 60 meters long and one person high. Wu Jiakun, the on-site person in charge of the Beichen District Water Comprehensive Service Center, said that in order to prevent the water level from rising and flooding the riverside residential areas, starting from 10pm on July 31st, the entire section of the canal will be sealed and sealed. "After more than 10 hours of continuous construction overnight, the sealing work has been basically completed."

On August 1st, at the entrance of Pangzui Village in Shuangjie Town, Beichen District, Tianjin, construction workers constructed an artificial embankment using sandbags. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fanyue

At the same time, 2053 people have been transferred. Wang Kai, a staff member of Shuangjie Town, said that his work team is responsible for the transfer of more than 90 households, and the mobilization work has been in full swing since July 28th. "The entire transportation process took less than three hours and was in good order."

In the dormitory of the placement site of Beichen Vocational College, basic toiletries and bedding are fully prepared. There is a temporary medical room on the first floor of the dormitory, and Dr. Gao Wei, who came to provide support, said that the medical support team works round the clock to ensure that the medical needs of residents can be met in a timely manner.

The power sector is also closely monitoring changes in flood conditions. "We have equipped emergency power generation equipment at 11 resettlement sites, including Beichen Vocational College and Daliang Middle School, and deployed 102 people to be stationed 24 hours a day to ensure reliable power supply at the resettlement sites," said Zheng Yue, Deputy Director of the Distribution Department of State Grid Tianjin Electric Power Equipment Department. At the same time, special areas such as flood storage and detention areas should be inspected in advance for potential safety hazards in power facilities to prevent secondary injuries from occurring.

Since last weekend, many grassroots cadres in Taitou Town, Jinghai District, Tianjin have been on duty along the river. Wang Zhen, a member of the Party Committee of Taitou Town, said that at the border of Taitou Town and Hebei Province, the Daqing River and Ziya River pass through the town area, and the pressure of flood discharge is not small. As the water level of the Daqing River continues to rise, the Dongdian flood storage and detention area of the Daqing River has reached the conditions for use, and will be put into operation from 2am on August 1st.

Hao Hanmin, a villager from Taitou Town, said that in the past few days, staff have been visiting households to explain flood prevention knowledge and precautions for possible evacuation in the future. "The two of us have put everything at home and prepared for a change of clothes, and are waiting for notification to transfer," said Hao Hanmin.

On the morning of the 2nd, Jinghai District issued a notice on the transfer of all personnel in the Dongdian Flood Storage and Detention Area. All personnel in the jurisdiction of Taitou Town, Duliu Town, and Wangkou Town must be transferred before 12:00 on August 3rd.

This is the scene of the Yongding New River flood gate captured on August 1st in the lower reaches of the Yongding River in the Haihe River Basin. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fanyue

According to hydrological predictions, the newly built houses on the Daqing River will release floodwaters that will arrive in Tianjin around August 6th, while the Ziya River floodwaters will enter Tianjin around August 7th. From north to south, multiple waterways in Tianjin are experiencing gradual flooding, and the situation of flood discharge is severe.

"Before the flood, we urgently thickened and raised the weak sections and embankments," said Zhang Dongfang, Deputy Director of the Water and Drought Disaster Rescue Department of the Tianjin Emergency Management Bureau. All departments in Tianjin are on high alert, building a safety defense line at the grassroots level to safeguard the safety of the people's lives.