Xinhua News Agency, Chengdu, August 25th: Race for Life and Death, Watch and Help, Never Give Up — — Direct hit Wenchuan heavy rainfall flood debris flow disaster relief
Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chaoqun and yangjin
In the early morning of August 20th, due to the continuous heavy rainfall, catastrophic mountain torrents and mudslides occurred in Wenchuan County, Lixian County, Maoxian County, Songpan County and Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, in which 100% of towns and villages in Wenchuan County and more than 90% of the people were affected. Synchronized with the disaster, it is a life-and-death race of rescue and the mutual help of compatriots.
There is a kind of disaster relief called life and death race.
On the 20th, Feng Xiulan, an exhibitor from Nanchong City, Sichuan Province to Shuimo Ancient Town, Wenchuan County, who participated in the Food Shopping Festival, lived in a booth by the Shouxi River.
At 2 o’clock in the morning, Feng Xiulan found that the booth was flooded, and in a blink of an eye, the water soared from the ankle to the waist. No sooner had she lifted her 8-year-old child from the cot than the board and bedding were washed away. In desperation, Feng Xiulan and her family grabbed the doors and windows of the opposite shop and climbed to the roof, only to escape.
When the flood receded, a thick layer of sediment was deposited on both sides of the river in Shuimo Town, with the thickest part exceeding half a meter. A large number of plant branches washed down from the upstream were wrapped in the sediment, with a diameter of 50 cm. A large number of private cars were destroyed by floods, piled together, some stood upside down on the trunk next to them, and some were washed into residential houses.
In sanjiang town, Wenchuan County, upstream of the water mill, the river that originally flowed through the edge of the town was diverted because of the excessive water potential, passing through the city, flooding most of the town, and many buildings seemed to be built in the middle of the river.
As of 25th, more than 102,000 people in Aba Prefecture were affected by the disaster, 12 people were killed and 26 people lost contact.
On the night of the disaster, a full-time fire brigade of Shuimo Town and a group of seven people received the alarm and went to sanjiang town to rescue the trapped tourists. The fire truck was suddenly flooded just a few kilometers away. The 33-year-old monitor died in poverty, and Xin Yang, the captain, was thrown ashore after being swept by the flood for more than 3 kilometers. The six surviving firefighters endured the pain and searched and rescued the trapped people overnight. It was not until noon on the 23rd that Yang Xincai recovered from the grief of intense rescue and the sacrifice of his comrades-in-arms and ate some rice.
"The disaster is the order. We are the local rescue force. We are the most familiar with the situation and must stick to it." Xin Yang’s arms and legs were covered with scars. Because he had to drive a rescue vehicle, the wound on his knee had just scabbed and been torn open.
After the disaster, Sichuan Province and Aba Prefecture responded immediately, set up front-line headquarters, quickly formed an emergency relief system, organized rescue forces of more than 3,000 people including public security, fire fighting and armed police to put into disaster relief, and distributed 25 kinds of relief materials such as quilts (6,950 beds), rice (41.25 tons) and cooking oil (2.75 tons).
There is a kind of power called mutual help.
Disaster is merciless, and people are affectionate. Almost in sync with the floods, people in party member in Wenchuan and other places tried their best to help each other.
Yuzixi Village, Yingxiu Town, Wenchuan County, was lightly affected due to its high terrain. On the day of the disaster, the village of more than 800 people organized nearly 200 people to go down the mountain and transfer the affected people nearby to the village. On the evening of 20th, more than 300 people were resettled in Yuzixi Village, and 14 people lived in the villagers’ homes at most.
"It was still raining, it was very cold, and there were many old people and children. If you don’t arrange well, you will definitely get sick." Ma Guihua, a villager, said, "I took out all the extra quilts in my house. When there was not enough room on the bed and sofa, I set up a wooden board to spread the quilts." Early the next morning, Murakami spontaneously set up a water mat to let the villagers who avoided the disaster eat hot meals.
After learning about the disaster, Yao Xiong, a 27-year-old boy from Xuankou Town, Wenchuan County, hired a driver, and the two of them drove forklifts and excavators for dry projects to rescue them. "Life is more important. I am a young man. If I need to go, I will go at once." After the Wenchuan earthquake, Yao Xiong knew the importance of racing against time.
"The villagers’ houses were destroyed and the fields were buried. It was sad to watch, and we also came up with a contribution." On the 21st, Yan Daijun of Wenchuan SF Express spontaneously organized a 14-person volunteer courier team to buy food, water and other living materials out of his own pocket, and rushed to the temporary resettlement site in Mianmian Town, Wenchuan County on foot to give warmth to the affected people, and to assist local militia and villagers to clean up the mud in roads and houses.
"Wenchuan is our common home. If it is difficult for everyone to carry it together, everything will be fine." Yan Daijun said.
There is a kind of warmth called never giving up.
August is the tourist season in Aba Prefecture. The sudden disaster caused more than 95,500 tourists to stay, and more than 47,200 people were stranded in Wenchuan alone, most of whom were elderly people and children who went to the mountains for summer vacation.
The state and county governments in Sichuan Province urgently dispatched helicopters and buses and organized private cars to evacuate tourists.
When transferring tourists is the busiest, Shuimo Tourist Passenger Station will transfer nearly 3,000 people a day. Zhou Jin, the head of the passenger station, once served as the director of Jiuzhaigou Transportation Management Office, and his rich transportation experience made him calmly cope with this tourist transfer. "In the face of disasters, all parties are very powerful. With a greeting, more than 40 buses of transportation companies will soon be in place." Zhou Jin said. At the passenger station, tourists get off the bus, wait for the bus, and then get on the bus in an orderly manner.
Gou Daming, 73, had lived in sanjiang town for a month before he withdrew. When he met the reporter, he was waiting for the bus to return to Chengdu at the passenger station. "We really panicked when we found that there was no electricity or water, but the government was very concerned about us, and the staff were very hard. Some people didn’t sleep for two days and nights."
At 12: 49 on the 24th, with the last pickup truck transporting trapped villagers entering the government of Gengda Town, Wolong, 96 tourists and villagers trapped in Yaozigou of Longtan Power Station reservoir area in Gengda Town were evacuated safely after more than 100 hours of joint rescue in the open space day and night.
"I knew you didn’t give up on us." Seeing the rescuers, some trapped tourists shed tears. By noon on the 24th, all the stranded tourists in the Wenchuan flood and debris flow disaster had been transferred to safety.
