Rescuers build a temporary waterproof dike to stop the flood at Jiangjialing Village in Poyang County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Haobo)
PEOPLE FIRST
Stories emerging from the scene of the flooding have shown the dangers faced by ordinary people, as well as the effectiveness of local efforts.
On the evening of July 8, villagers in Guihu Village of Poyang County were stirred from their dreams by the sound of a gong being beaten.
"Get out of the house! The floods are coming," screamed Huang Guolin, the village's deputy Party chief.
Amid heavy rainfall, Huang dashed from his office when he received the order to evacuate the villagers. He went from door to door, notifying every single person.
Over 9,000 villagers were evacuated to safe places in time before their residences were inundated by floodwaters running through a breach in a dike.
A primary school in Poyang County had already been transformed into an emergency accommodation site, sheltering more than 500 residents.
"Luckily, we still have hot dishes during such a difficult time," said Huang Shengxiang, 58, an evacuated villager who had just received two cooked dishes with meat and fresh vegetables.
A storage room at the site was filled with food, drinks and disaster-relief materials, such as folding beds and blankets. People also had free access to boiling water.
The Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) said Saturday that China had allocated 190 boats, 3,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds, 10,000 blankets and 20,000 quilts to Jiangxi to help with local flood control and disaster relief.
A total of 615 million yuan of disaster-relief funds, allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the MEM, were channeled to flood-ravaged regions, including Jiangxi, Hubei, Anhui and Chongqing.
IMPROVED FLOOD-CONTROL CAPACITY
"In 1998, flood control relied heavily on human beings. It now turns to modern machines and advanced technologies for help," said Cheng Jianyi, a member of the expert group of the flood control and drought relief headquarters in Poyang County, who also joined in the disaster relief efforts during massive floods in 1998.
China Anneng Group Second Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd., a construction corporation that participated in the embankment repair in the county, said it used modern technology to stem the dike breach on July 8. Radar was used to test the water velocity, while GPS was used to measure the water levels.
On Sunday, more than 70,000 people were mobilized in fighting the floods in Jiangxi, aided by over 1,800 sets of mechanical equipment, according to the provincial headquarters.
China has invested heavily in water-conservation projects to enhance its capability to withstand both droughts and flooding. Last year, the country spent a record 726 billion yuan on water-conservation projects.
"We have poured a lot of money into strengthening the large dikes along the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake, but the small and medium-sized levees are still under-invested," said Xu Weiming, secretary-general of the Jiangxi provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.
