Since torrential rainfall hit Central China's Henan province on Tuesday afternoon, residents have volunteered to take part in rescue efforts in the provincial capital Zhengzhou, providing shelters and supplies to people trapped in different areas.
Ren Mofan, a 26-year-old entrepreneur, transformed dormitories of his company into temporary shelters to house those unable to go home due to the downpour, according to the Beijing News.
Ren and his colleagues spread rescue information on WeChat groups all through the night and more than 100 phone calls poured in seeking help.
They rescued a college student who had come to find a part-time job in Zhengzhou. The student hitchhiked a garbage truck to the shelter and "his luggage, glasses, and bag pack were all swept away by the floods".
Ren prepared hot water, instant noodles and toiletries at the shelter. "That night we took in a dozen of people in need, most of them lived or worked nearby," he said.
Former firefighter Wang Haoming posted his location and contact number on social media platform Sina Weibo for people to get in touch with him and offered them shelter at his home.
His first rescue was a mother and her two children who were stranded in a subway station for long. Wang brought them food, water, and raincoat.
When he saw about 30 exhausted stranded commuters, including seniors and children, at the station, he went to a convenience store and bought some bread and water for them.
Although Wang has experienced many emergencies during rescue works, he was cautious this time and didn't take any risks but only delivered necessary supplies for residents.
Wang said as a firefighter it was worthy to sacrifice himself for saving even one life, but as a resident "if I die for saving others' lives, it will bring burden to the government".
Zhang Bingyang, a 22-year-old veteran, was one of the 500 passengers trapped in a subway car as water filled the tunnel. After he got his way out the carriage, he immediately joined in the rescue team and helped about 300 other people escape danger.
Zhengzhou Library issued a notice on Tuesday that the library would remain open throughout the night. A parent felt relieved when he saw the message posted by the library as his son was doing his homework there.
"I was worried the whole afternoon. I burst into tears when I saw my son was safe. Many thanks to the library," the parent said under the post.
About 100 people stayed in the library that night, including students, residents taking shelters from rain, passengers from the nearby railway station and commuters evacuated from the subway.
The library provided towels and ginger tea for people.
Figure shows that the library welcomed more than 500 visitors on Tuesday.
