How can we be safer? Anhui Shexian County was flooded three times in four years

In June, heavy rains hit the south, and floods ravaged She County, Anhui Province again and again.

Yuliang Dam, also known as the Huizhou Dujiangyan, has long been dark and cold with its stone locks. Waves of wet fog have plunged the earth into confusion. Ziyang Mountain and the black tiles and white walls look at each other, and the sinking gaze keeps touching the rising river flow. The water head, shaking in the Lianjiang River, was suddenly smashed, and then pulled up the mountain head in front. In the muddy yellow whirlpool, pottery jars, fragments, and broken branches rolled in panic.

On June 19, Yuliang Community in She County received an order that residents on Yuliang Street who were exposed to floods must move to higher ground in case of severe flooding in the future. Community Secretary Yao Jinfan and Huicheng Town Party Committee Member Zhang Yaqi led community cadres to work tirelessly to implement the order. Most residents cooperated. Three of the four people in a family agreed to leave, and the remaining one was arguing with a red face. Some agreed in person, but turned around and followed their own temperament. The rain fell again, and the stone slabs were hazy. The flood was rising. The water in the alleys was peeking towards the main street. An old man in his 90s said that he had lived in Yuliang since he was a child and knew the water conditions of the Lianjiang River. He asked the cadres not to interfere in his family's affairs. From the 19th to the 20th, the community people came five times, but the old man was unwilling to leave home, but he was worried: the water was rising and the door of the house could not be closed. If it was closed, the house would be in danger due to the difference in water pressure; but if it was not closed, the wood stacked in front of the hall might be swept away by the flood.

On the afternoon of June 20, the flood surged, reaching above the knees and chests. Community officials walked through Yuliang Street, checking every household. Were there any cracks or tilts in the buildings? Were there any people left in the danger zone? How many people and matters needed to be taken care of and settled. Just then, more than 20 people were sent by the county's Bureau of Culture, Sports and Environmental Protection. The speedboats crushed the raging waves in the flood, and the rumbling sound of the engines suppressed the thunder in the sky. Mr. Yang on the boat hesitated for a while and said to Zhang Yaqi, "Can you go back for a while so that I can close the door of my house?" He runs a homestay and is worried that the mahogany furniture in his home will be swept away by the water. Zhang Yaqi replied, "It's important to save people now! If the door is closed, the house will be in danger." Mr. Yang remained silent and did not make any more requests. Dense water splashed in the air, and the flood pressed against the boat from all sides.

Being forced by the water is not pleasant. On June 20, in Tunxi, the flood submerged the cement road in front of my house, and the speedboat was running there. The rain was dense, thick and loud. The flood suddenly came in from the bottom of the iron gate of the yard and rushed straight to the gate. This is the first time in more than 20 years. I hurriedly picked up the bamboo broom and quickly swept the flood to the vegetable field. The wall of Huangshan College 20 meters away suddenly collapsed. The flood rushed into a supermarket, the shelves fell down, and the goods were instantly soaked! If the water rises another three or four centimeters, my house will be flooded. My wife blocked the gap under the iron gate with wooden strips and stones. If the water in the river rises again, if the rain continues like this, no matter how hard we sweep and block, it will be in vain. I kept saying, God, the rain can't be heavier. Fortunately, the rain was lighter in the afternoon, and the water on the road also found a way out.

The speedboats in the Lianjiang River sometimes went downstream and sometimes went upstream. The three brothers Yao Laixi, Yao Laian and Yao Weijian were using their own boats to rescue people and move things. Hu Zixuan had settled the elderly couple Ba Shengzi in her own home. Yao Jinfan, Zhang Yaqi and nine other community cadres breathed a sigh of relief.

The 20th was finally over. But the notice came again that the flood peak would come on the 23rd. The cadres of Yuliang Community once again rushed ahead of time. They walked on the muddy stone road, staring at the surging waves in the river, and alert to the undercurrents in the alleys. They were heavy in their hearts. Broken and heavy news kept coming. The bottom of Gaojing Road was hollowed out, and the road surface became an empty frame. Cars were spinning in the flood like drunks. The house collapsed with a bang, and the muddy current came out of the ruins with smoke and dust. In Sencun, Shaolian and other places, landslides blocked traffic.

The staff of Yuliang Community visited the households again. With more than 270 households and more than 700 people, there can be no mistakes. The community not only has the nationally famous ancient water conservancy project Yuliang Dam, but also Chongbao Temple, one of the important birthplaces of Hui culture. Yuliang Street is low at both ends and high in the middle. Legend has it that it is a fish diving to perform, diving down and then rising up. The past has sunk and left deep behind. On the streets paved with slabs and pebbles, folk customs are active and continuous. Clam shell dance, December lanterns, fish lantern dance, and Zhong Kui dance are popular among people. Like the horse head wall, they are all symbols of Huizhou derived from bricks and fireworks.

On June 23, She County was flooded again. On the afternoon of June 24, I rushed to Yuliang Street. The water mark on a house was more than two meters high. The water level on the 23rd was a little lower than on the 20th. Some roads in the county town have some gravel and mud, which does not affect the continuous flow of traffic. There are no messy furniture, clothes, and sundries placed at the door and on the street. Yao Jinfan and Zhang Yaqi told me that no house collapsed and no one was injured. In the 1970s, floods caused many houses on Yuliang Street to collapse, but today the steel bars, technology, and digital prevention and control are powerful.

Subsequent rescue efforts followed. 27,000 disaster victims were properly resettled. The silt was removed, and the hollowed-out road surface was repaired and filled. Helicopters from Lu'an and Zhanhong aircraft from Wuhu flew to Huangshan urgently. A large amount of supplies were transported to Sencun, Shaolian, Gaojing and other places. When one side is in trouble, all sides will support it. Rescue organizations such as the People's Liberation Army, armed police firefighters, Blue Sky Rescue, and the Chinese Militia also came.

People are talking about the once-in-a-century heavy rainfall, and some memories are like yesterday. The society's care is widespread, but She County has been looted three times in four years. How can She County, sandwiched between Fengle Reservoir and Xin'anjiang Reservoir, be safer in big data?