Zhengzhou, China-July 22: On July 22, 2021, a damaged car parked on a muddy road at the entrance of a highway tunnel in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. Since July 16, heavy rains in Henan have caused disasters, and floods have occurred in many parts of the province on Monday and Tuesday. (Photo by Bai Zhoufeng/VCG via Getty Images)
- Serious floods occurred in Zhengzhou, killing at least 33 people.
- In parts of Anyang City, north of Zhengzhou, rainfall exceeded 100 mm.
- Two subway trains in Zhengzhou were flooded and more than 500 people were rescued.
On Thursday, piles of cars were scattered across the central Chinese city. Shocked residents selected at least 33 lives from the rubble of the historic flood. Rescue work is underway and hundreds of people are looking for their relatives.
Meteorological officials said that an unprecedented downpour brought a year of rainfall to Zhengzhou in just three days, immediately flooding sewers and gushing out large amounts of muddy water in streets, road tunnels and subway systems.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the area were also affected by the floods, with inundated farmland and cut off road and rail connections.
In Zhengzhou, the worst-hit city, terrifying horror images in the subway system were spread in real time via social media, showing that water rose from the ankles of passengers to their necks during the rush hour on Tuesday.
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At least a dozen people died before rescuers were able to rescue the survivors from the carriage.
Thursday’s question is about how well the authorities are preparing for this disaster. Angry Weibo users questioned why the subway did not close earlier, and a post on Thursday received more than 160 million views.
One asked:
Why is the water level on the street almost waist high, while the subway still allows commuters to enter?
As a sign of increasing pressure, the Ministry of Transport issued a statement ordering railway operators to “learn the lessons of recent incidents” and warn them to quickly close stations in severe weather.
As the floods receded-piles of cars were a monument to its deadly power-residents prepared for the next wave of severe weather on Thursday, moved their vehicles to higher ground and tried to plan for the city from the disaster On the journey, the communication and electricity there are still not perfect.
As many streets are still flooded and trucks are pumping mud from underground tunnels, meteorologists have issued “red” rain warnings to warn surrounding areas of new landslides and flood threats.
As the power outage increased the challenge, residents lined up to receive emergency water and instant noodles.
“I am waiting for the power to be restored, but I think it may take a few days,” Chen, the owner of a local restaurant, told AFP.
On July 21, 2021, Zhengzhou, a man carrying a woman wading on a flooded street. (Photo by Mr. Zhang/VCG via Getty Images)
-‘Lost everything’-
In Mihe Town, Gongyi City, one of the hardest-hit areas, residents investigated the wreckage left after the rain stopped on Thursday.
“I lost everything and was washed away. I had nothing to eat (my house was flooded),” said a local middle-aged woman surnamed Song.
As rescuers search through the rubble, labor costs seem to rise.
An open-source spreadsheet created by students in Henan circulated on social media, listing hundreds of missing or stranded people across the province.
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A woman with relatives on the electronic form told AFP that communication and electricity in nearby villages in Gongyi County were interrupted and it was difficult to obtain information.
she says:
Most of the houses in my hometown were submerged by mudslides.
The official media “Global Times” shared a video in which rescuers rescued a three-month-old baby from a collapsed building in Zhengzhou.
The newspaper stated that the whereabouts of the baby’s mother remained unknown.
-Terrain, typhoon, climate-
The question turns to how China’s swelling cities can better prepare for abnormal weather events. Experts say that due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of these events are increasing.
Anyang City, north of Zhengzhou, issued a red warning for heavy rain on Thursday. Rainfall in some areas exceeded 100 mm. Schools were closed and most workers stayed at home.
As the world continues to heat up, the changing climate has also made such extreme weather events more common.
Henan Province is surrounded by rivers, dams and reservoirs, many of which were built decades ago to manage floods and irrigate agricultural areas.
But endless urban expansion is putting pressure on the drainage system.
State media refuted claims that dams played a role in disrupting normal water flow.
