'I strongly believe we would be rescued': residents saved from flood

(ECNS) --"Even though our village had lost water and electricity, and communication was difficult, I strongly believe we would be rescued," said a woman surnamed Zhao, who has been relocated to a nearby school in North China's Zhuozhou City.

"By the time we were rescued, the water in our village was already over two meters deep. When the rescue team arrived, we had to climb out through the second-floor windows," Zhao recounted.

Zhuozhou has been hit by severe flooding triggered by rain, with 133,913 residents affected, covering an area of 225.38 square kilometers, according to the local government.

The average precipitation for the entire city was 355.1 millimeters, with the maximum precipitation recorded at Lianghe Village reaching 435.7 millimeters as of 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Many townships and streets also experienced precipitation exceeding 300 millimeters.

All rivers in Zhuozhou have been under a red alert since Monday, and an emergency state for flood prevention was declared.

Rescue forces from across the country have arrived with supplies and specialized rescue equipment. Local authorities reported on Tuesday that efforts are underway.

“The floodwaters surged on Monday night, gradually seeping into the yard and eventually flooding into my house," Liu Yuxia, a local resident told China News Service.

She resides in Matou Town, which was heavily affected by the disaster. Liu recounted that the water in the village rose to a depth of about two to three meters. She and her family stayed on the second floor of a neighbor's house, afraid to venture out, while they waited anxiously for rescue.

Later on, Liu and her family were rescued by a team using inflatable boats. She shared with CNS that there were still people trapped in the village, and expressed her hope that everyone would remain safe.

A CNS reporter observed on Tuesday afternoon near Tazhao Village that a rescue team equipped with inflatable boats waded through the water towards the stranded village. Half an hour later, a group of residents were gradually rescued.

"At around 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the water started rising. Just a while ago, a rescue boat saved several of us, but there are still over 40 inside,” Chai Long, a rescued resident told CNS.

“Our building has five floors, and the first floor was already submerged. A total of 37 cars are all completely underwater. Some of us hardly had anything to eat today, some had steamed buns, others had rice.

"We can make phone calls, but the signal is not good," Chai added.

In the wake of Typhoon Doksuri, a relentless deluge engulfed Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and surrounding regions, spanning across a stretch of three days. Amid this heavy rainfall, seven red alerts were dispatched, and the rainfall lasted approximately 70 hours.