Publisher Books China suffers heavy loss due to rain-triggered flooding

(ECNS) -- Large Chinese publisher Books China, whose storage center is located in flood-hit city Zhuozhou, has suffered a heavy loss, with over four million books scrapped, it said on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Wednesday.

Books China announced on Tuesday morning that its storage center in Zhuozhou, north China’s Hebei Province, would temporarily stop its express delivery service and all orders would be postponed as of Tuesday.

The storage center remains safe for now, it said in its statement, adding that it was actively searching for sandbags, pumps and generators to respond to the disaster. According to the company, books in some lower storage houses had been evacuated and some flooded.

At around 2 p.m. on the day, floodwater poured into a warehouse. A staff member said they bought a lot of sandbags and piled them in front of the warehouse, but they didn't work, and its door was destroyed by the floods.

Dozens of staff members were trapped in the four-story  office building due to the deep water. “The water level rose from the knee to the waist and then to the chest,” some said.

There are over four million books in the storage center in Zhuozhou, including some rare, out-of-print and old books, most of which are stored on the first floor and some on the second. 

Staff members told China News Service on Tuesday night that floods had overflowed the second floor of the storage center.

“Our colleagues moved to the fourth floor to wait for rescue. There is no electricity, food, or heating equipment. Colleagues who have been soaked in water are trying to dry themselves, and sheets in the few dormitories were used to warm their bodies,” a staff member said, adding that they had coordinated the use of mobile phones to ensure that at least two could get in touch with the outside world.

“Colleagues who are not in the storage center have dialed all rescue numbers. Some can't get through, and some are on their way,” the staff member added.

At around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, a rescue boat transferred four people including children and pregnant women to safety.At 9 a.m. on Wednesday, all trapped people were saved.

“This is the most devastating loss and blow that Books China has encountered in the past 25 years. The flood will recede finally, and it will be sunny soon,” said Books China in a statement release on Wednesday. “We will strive for rebuilding and try hard to live.”

“We can’t imagine the loss of several warehouses, but we have to face this,” said its staff. 

Hebei has opened seven areas for flood storage and detention, and so far, the province has evacuated 847,400 people. Zhuozhou has organized 28 emergency rescue teams encompassing a combined 8,755 members to cooperate with professional rescue teams.