6 hours of life and death in the rainstorm in Mianning: Where were the 4,000 villagers escaped due to the torrential floods at night?
This is a rain monitoring station consisting of a silver stainless steel barrel about 30 cm high and a white display slightly larger than the palm of your hand. When it rains, rain water drops into the bucket and then flows out from the bottom of the bucket, the rainfall information will be displayed.
The 46-year-old Asiguji is a Yi nationality and a rainfall monitor in Caogu Village, Mianning County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The rain monitoring station set by Mianning County Water Conservancy Bureau is located on the top of a wooden shed about two meters high in Asiguji's house. This is the location selected by the professional investigation and evaluation company.
On the wooden shed of Asiguchi's house is a stainless steel bucket to collect rainwater. That is part of the rainfall monitor. Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
According to the official micro-news from the Information Office of the Mianning County Government, from 18 o'clock to 27 o'clock on June 26, 2020, a sudden downpour in the northern part of Mianning County to extreme rainstorms caused a number of townships (streets) including Yihai Town, Gaoyang Street, etc. More than 2,100 households and 9,880 people were affected.
Yihai Town, where Cao Gu Village is located, is one of the worst-hit areas. Due to the continuous heavy rain, the three creeks on the east mountain of Caogu Village turned into five. They merged into the Caogu River and diverted. The flood rushed into the village with rocks from the mountain, destroying houses and land. As of 17:00 on July 3rd, 16 people had been killed and 1 lost contact in Yihai Town.
Many villagers in Caogu Village told reporters in the Beijing News that they had never encountered such a large flood, but most of them knew where to escape in front of the flood. In addition to the post-disaster resettlement, the following work will also dredge the washed-out Caogu River channel to avoid another local disaster.
Rainfall monitoring station keeps alarming
The rain started at more than 6 pm on June 26, and it started intermittently. After about two hours, the rain suddenly became heavy and the lightning flashed. Cao Gucun lost power, and a small stream of water appeared on the cement road.
At more than 8 pm, Asiguchi heard a rain alarm sounding from the rain monitoring monitor. After 3 seconds, the electronic male voice in the rain monitor sounded: alarm warning, rainstorm warning-this is a reminder sound when the rainfall exceeds 20 mm. In the next hour or more, the rainfall increased to 25 mm and 30 mm, and the warning sound of the rain monitor changed from "rainstorm warning" to "please prepare to transfer" and "please transfer immediately".
Caogu Village is located in the northeast of Yihai Town, Mianning County, with high mountains and water nearby, and a fragile geological environment. According to statistics, every time during the flood season, when rainfall reaches 20 mm in one hour or 50 mm in 24 hours, geological disasters such as landslides and debris flows are likely to occur in Mianning County.
Zhu Haoran, director of the Water and Drought Prevention Station of the Mianning County Water Conservancy Bureau, said that according to the requirements of the county's flood control and drought relief headquarters, when the rainfall reaches 20 mm per hour, the rainfall monitor will report the rain. "According to industry standards, the average rainfall is 30 millimeters per hour before warning. But our village is open and notification (evacuation) takes time, so the warning standard is lowered and the insurance factor is higher."
In Mianning, there are a total of 120 rainfall monitoring stations similar to the Axi Guji family, and each monitoring station has villagers or village cadres as rainfall monitors. Asiguchi has been working as a rain monitor since 2016 and can receive a subsidy of 2,200 yuan per year.
As a rainfall monitor, during the flood season from May to October each year, Asiguchi cannot leave home and sometimes pay attention to rainfall information throughout the night. Before 8:30 in the morning, he had to report the total rainfall of the previous day: if the total rainfall was within 10 mm, he only had to inform the village branch secretary; if it reached more than 10 mm, he would also report to the county defense office.
On the evening of June 26, Asiguchi, who was standing in front of the rainfall monitor, watched the rainfall increase all the way, 40 mm, 60 mm, and 100 mm. In the past, rainfall reaching 80 mm was rare, but later the Mianning County Government Bulletin showed that the rainfall in Caogu Village reached 107.5 mm that night.
Asiguchi's rainfall monitoring monitor will display rainfall directly on the screen, and will sound an alarm when necessary. Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
Asiguchi once wore a raincoat and went to the bank of the Caogu River, less than 100 meters away from home. The rivers that are usually shallow and can be traversed by ordinary people become muddy that night.
At about 9 o'clock that night, after the rain monitor's second alarm, Asiguji informed the village cadre of Caogu Village, Rujue Muyi, and dialed the phone of the duty office of the county defense office. At that time the rain was too loud outside and the signal was intermittent, he could only yell at the phone.
Escape to the safe haven
When receiving a call from Asiguchi, 47-year-old village cadre Ojue Muyi was checking the situation in the village. In his impression, when the flood season comes, heavy rain is common. The heavy rain came and went quickly and almost never threatened the lives and property safety of the villagers.
But on the evening of June 26, the rain blurred his vision, and the roads 5 meters away could not be seen clearly, but there was no obvious accumulation of water on the road surface.
At around 10:40 that night, the water level of the Caogu River rose rapidly, and the sound of the river's "rumbling" overwhelmed the thunder. Asiguchi also called and said that the rainfall was over 40 millimeters and the river rose. Russian Juemuyi passed the news, and the transfer of villagers began.
56-year-old Cao Gu villager Anga Abi lives in the west of the village, near 108 National Road. Near 11 o'clock in the night, he heard a long honking of the car horn outside the door, and then heard the knock on the door. Outside his house, a village cadre roared to let him transfer: the water is coming, go to the (former Caogu Township) township government!
In November 2019, Caogu Township, Tuowu Township and Yihai Township merged into the current Yihai Town. The original township government of Caogu Township is about one kilometer away from Anga Abbey's house. He put on shoes and put on a raincoat and ran out. On rainy nights without street lights, he would go south along the village road, turn north on the national road, and then walk north for seven or eight minutes.
At the same time, the villagers rushed from their homes to the former Caogu Township Government with their flashlights and tricycles.
According to Zhu Haoran, since the 1990s, Mianning has set up safe havens in villages to respond to sudden natural disasters. There are three safe havens in Caogu Village.
"When choosing a safe haven, you must consider several factors, such as being away from the river, away from the landslide zone, no high-rise buildings, no large-scale poles, etc." Zhu Haoran said, if there are multiple locations in a village that meet these conditions, leave the village The nearest place will become a safe haven.
For example, the original township government of Caogu Township is only about one kilometer away from Caogu Village. It is farther away from Caogu River and the terrain is higher than that of the village. In addition, there are two or three-story buildings near the township government, and there are no high-rise buildings; there is also an open courtyard in the township government, which is convenient for setting up tents in an emergency.
Unlike Anga Abbey, Asi Guji's safe haven is located in the woods on the south bank of Caogu River, about 200 meters away from his home. This safe haven covers 9 households and 39 people nearby. The terrain is high, and it is close to the houses and away from the river, at least to ensure safety.
A safe haven near Asiguchi's house. Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
The plan is changing
The Mianning County Flood Prevention and Drought Relief Command issued by Mianning County Government on June 5, 2020 recorded the major flood disasters in the county since 1853. So far, no major flash floods have been encountered in Caogu Village. Therefore, before the heavy rain on June 26, the three safe havens in Caogu Village were never actually used.
However, in accordance with the requirements of the Mianning County Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, each village conducts emergency drills at least twice a year. The main purpose is to familiarize the villagers with the escape route to the safe haven.
Direction signs for the transfer route in Caogu Village. Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
Anga Abbey remembered that the last exercise was in early May this year. During the exercise, the village cadres would knock on the gong, whistle, run around the village with a hand-buzzer that could make a beep, and call the villagers to evacuate. But when the heavy rain hit on June 26, the rain was too loud. Except for the long honking of the car horn, Anga Abbe could hardly hear the sound of the whistle, gong or siren.
Village cadre Ji Kewuniu also discovered this problem, he let the cadres knock from door to door to notify.
Having not encountered a mountain torrent does not mean that Cao Gucun has not encountered the risk of a mountain torrent. Zhu Haoran said that there are 7 registered torrents in Caogu Village. The "Plan" shows that a total of 272 people were threatened by these 7 torrential hidden spots.
On July 1st, a reporter from the Beijing News saw a blue sign in the village of Cao Gucun, indicating the name of the danger zone, the type of disaster, the scope of the danger zone, the person in charge of early warning transfer, and the resettlement site. And other information. Rujue Muyi remembered that this brand should have been hung four or five years ago. Because of the long time, some of the handwriting on the brand fell off and could not be seen clearly.
In Caogu Village, there is a sign of "Mountain Flood Disaster Risk Zone". Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
Zhu Haoran explained that the sign of "Mountain Flood Disaster Risk Zone" was hung by the county water conservancy bureau as a reminder. However, under normal circumstances, the area with a population of less than 1,000 people is a general risk area, and villagers do not need to relocate.
Xiao Peng, the mayor of Yihai Township, said that it is precisely because of Caogu Village's torrential danger spots that there will be emergency plans including rainfall monitors, drills, and setting up safe havens.
In Zhu Haoran's impression, compared with the past, today's emergency plan has done better in terms of department coordination and information sharing. For example, when the heavy rain first fell at 6 pm on June 26, a WeChat group of more than 40 people was busy.
This WeChat group called "Mianning Flood Control and Disaster Reduction Working Group" already existed before the rainstorm. In addition to the Mianning County Meteorological Bureau, the County Water Resources Bureau, the County Natural Resources Bureau, the County Civil Affairs Bureau, the County Ecological Environment Bureau, and the County Emergency Management Bureau, the county transportation bureau, county housing construction bureau, county health bureau, and township and street offices are responsible for Everyone is in the group. They are all member units of the Mianning County Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. In case of emergencies, each unit performs its duties.
In Zhu Haoran's impression, such a disaster information communication group was established after 2011. Previously, various departments could only call each other to exchange information, and only two or three people on duty were required to make calls. With the working group, it is much more convenient for all departments to send and receive information.
Even with preparation, at least 10 people were killed in Caogu Village during the heavy rain. As of 17:00 on July 3rd, 16 people had been killed and 1 lost contact in Yihai Town.
Rujue Muyi said that one of the five families in the family was killed. When the village cadres first sent a message in the WeChat group, no one from his family responded; later they called, but no one answered. At about 10 o'clock on the evening of June 26, the village cadres knocked on the door of this family and no one answered. The next afternoon, in the river channel 1.5 km away from the family, search and rescue personnel found their bodies.
There is also a family whose tricycle was overturned by the flood when running towards the safe haven. Russian Juemuyi said that in the end, 5 people in the family of 8 were killed.
From safe haven to settlement
On the evening of June 26, at the forest haven on the south bank of the Caogu River, Asiguchi and more than 30 villagers sat in a raincoat on a mossy stone and a field full of potatoes.
After dawn on the 27th, a group of people walked home and walked. Although only two houses were washed down by the water, silt was left in the yard of each house. Since it was not clear whether the structure of the house was damaged, they moved to the original Caogu Township Government in the afternoon, where they had been changed from a mountain flood shelter to a temporary resettlement site.
A lot of blue resettlement tents were put on the streets outside the former Caogu Township Government. Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
According to Zhu Haoran, unlike the safe haven, the resettlement site is where the villagers live for a short time and has higher environmental requirements. In addition to the basic requirements of being far away from the river channel, the terrain must be high and gentle, and the site wide.
At about 11pm on June 26, Xiaohai Peng, the mayor of Yihai Town, brought 60 resettlement tents from the town. Among them, 40 of them were tied up in the courtyard of the former government of Caogu Township and outside the street, which was the largest resettlement site; the other 20 were tied at another resettlement site beside the national highway.
However, of the more than 4,000 affected villagers, more than 2,000 were dispersed by resettling relatives and friends, and 60 tents were far from enough for the remaining 2,000. On the evening of the 26th, Yihai Town reported the relevant situation to the Mianning County Government. Early the next morning, the County Civil Affairs Bureau brought more tents and relief supplies.
According to the official micro-news from the Information Office of the Mianning County Government, as of 17:00 on July 1, 395 tents were set up at the centralized resettlement sites in Yihai Town, and 1020 folding beds, 760 moisture-proof mats, 3410 beds of quilts, and adult winter clothes were distributed 2,100 sets, 3,000 copies of living materials.
On June 30, a reporter from the Beijing News saw at the original settlement site of the Caogu Township Government that more than 90 blue tents had been erected on this street about 200 meters long, with a villager living in one tent. There is a green steel frame bed inside the tent. The bed is a colorful striped quilt issued by the civil affairs department.
Nun Mo, the villager of Caogu Village, lives here. On the evening of June 26, the family of six hurriedly retreated to this safe haven after hearing the evacuation order from the village cadres. They brought nothing but the clothes they wore. On the morning of the 27th, the staff of the county's CDC issued masks to everyone, and then the civil affairs department issued bread and mineral water.
In addition, the county disease control department will use chlorine powder water to disinfect the inside of the tent three times a day. "People gather here, and we want to prevent various infectious diseases including new coronary pneumonia." Lu Tao, a staff member of the Mianning County CDC.
On June 30, Lu Tao disinfected the tents in the former settlement of Caogu Township Government. Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
Subsidize food and clear rivers
The damage caused by the rainstorm to the houses is visible to the naked eye: some houses have one or two walls missing; some houses have no roof; some houses have all three walls destroyed, leaving only a red iron door standing on the roadside There is a small brick wall less than half a meter long next to the iron gate.
The wooden house beams of the three main houses of Ajuan villagers in Caogu village were all washed away by the flood, the roof was lifted by half, and the back wall had disappeared. Many hollow cement bricks washed down by water were scattered on the nearby road. Because the house was destroyed, A Juan and her family had to live longer in the resettlement site.
On June 30, A Juan dried clothes in the yard. Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
Xiao Peng said that in a situation like the Ajuan family, the town will arrange for them to live with relatives and friends or rent a house, and wait for the new house to be repaired before returning. As for rent and other related expenses, the government will provide a certain amount of subsidies.
On the afternoon of July 4, 58-year-old grandson Wu Jia washes dishes in front of his house. She put a stainless steel basin under the water pipe and cleaned the stainless steel bowls full of mud one by one.
Sunzi Wujia lives in the west of Caogu Village, near the national highway. The heavy rain did not cause significant damage to her house. After the flood, the silt on the ground has been cleaned up, and only after the relevant departments disinfect the house, can they move in again.
On the afternoon of July 4th, Sunzi Wujia washes dishes at the door of his house. Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
In addition to the flooding of the villagers' houses, the heavy rain also caused the destruction of the basic farmland in Caogu Village, and the crops such as corn and potatoes were washed away by the water. On July 4, a reporter from the Beijing News saw that the farmland on both sides of the Cao Gu River was filled with sand, branches, and stones, and the original crops could hardly be seen.
Xiao Peng said that in view of the low and no harvest of farmland, the Yihai town government will help the villagers to overcome the difficulties through food subsidies-within three months, each villager can receive a pound of grain per day. "Follow-up we will fight for some agricultural projects to rehabilitate the washed-out farmland."
Compared with the resettlement of villagers and the recultivation of farmland, the most urgent task of Caogu Village is to spend the flood season from July to September every year.
In order to avoid the heavy rain and the blockage of the river, since June 27, dozens of excavators of various colors have gathered in the Caogu River. A huge robotic arm reached into the river, digging the muddy stones to the shore, and piled them into piles of stones. According to the plan of the emergency rescue plan, the flood discharge section of the Caogu River will be raised to 60 meters, and the temporary river embankments on both sides will also be ramped up to 2 meters high.
On July 1, the excavator cleared the channel in the Caogu River. Beijing News reporter Li Guishe
On July 4, a reporter from the Beijing News saw that Cao Guhe was diverted into the village and the entrance to the new river channel was blocked by stones and sand.
Meteorological information shows that from July 4 to 10, there are small to moderate rains in Mianning every day.
On the afternoon of July 4th, when Asiguchi returned to the yard to gather things, the forecast rain came as scheduled. He took out the rain monitoring monitor from the house until the rain stopped more than an hour later, and the rainfall did not exceed 10 mm. He took a breath and felt a lot easier.
(A Juan is a pseudonym in the text)
Beijing News reporter Li Gui intern Cao Yifan