The post-95 warriors resisted floods in the first line. They experienced floods in 1998 and now carry sand to build dams.
"The first idea to see the flood is to block it"
On the evening of July 13, Tan Lei and his comrades were strengthening the dam in Jiangzhou Town, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. Photo courtesy of interviewees
From July 11, Tan Lei, a fighter from the Eastern Air Force, and more than 100 comrades-in-arms, were stationed on the levee of Jiangzhou Town, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province.
Surrounded by the Yangtze River on all sides, Jiangzhou Town is one of the most critical places in this flood. From July 12 to the present, more than 4,000 local people have evacuated one after another, leaving only the young and middle-aged and the flood fighting and rescue officers and soldiers.
Tan Lei, 25, is tall. During the days when he was fighting the flood on the front line, he was responsible for carrying sandbags and dykes, and worked more than 10 hours a day. His skin was tanned and red, and the sand oozing from the sandbags often stuck to his skin and hurt when touched.
This is Tan Lei's first participation in flood relief. But he was born in Wangjiang County, Anhui Province, and experienced floods as a child. In 1998, Tan Lei was only 3 years old. The flood left some fuzzy memories in his mind: The disaster in his hometown was serious. Many PLA officers and soldiers arrived at the scene. He was rushed to a high place by his family to avoid danger one night later.
"My hometown is on the side of the tributary of the Yangtze River, and my farmland has also been flooded, so I know how terrible the flood is." Tan Lei said, "The troops informed us that we are coming to fight against floods. When I got out of the car and saw the water, my first thought was to block it immediately and block it with the power I have now, not fear it."
"If you need me on the front, I will definitely get on"
Beijing News: How did you feel when you received the news of going to the frontline for flood relief?
Tan Lei: I received the news at 10 pm on July 10th. I was a little surprised at the time. I didn't expect the flood to be so big. To be honest, there was a little fear in my heart at the time. This is normal for people, because I am a southerner. I have also experienced floods before, and my farmland has been flooded. I know the danger of floods.
But as a soldier, I need to be on the front line, so I must get on. So after I received the news, I hurriedly tidied up my things. I dared not miss anything and feared delays.
Beijing News: What preparations have you made to get to the front?
Tan Lei: The unit prepared some equipment, such as ropes, sandbags, and other relief materials. Because we are going to live there, I also brought mats, mattresses and blankets, and changed clothes.
Beijing News: What did you see when you reached the front line?
Tan Lei: It is more than 60 kilometers from our station to the front line. On the morning of the 11th, we took a car for more than an hour and was responsible for the two defense sections of Caizhou Village and Jiangzhou Village in Jiangzhou Town, a total of 1.9 kilometers.
Along the way, I saw that part of the farmland has been flooded, and some houses on the other side of the dam have also been flooded. I feel very distressed.
But when I got out of the car and saw the water, my first thought was to block it immediately and block it with the power I have now, not fear it.
Digging a thousand-meter-long diversion trench to break the dike for an hour
Beijing News: What do you do on the front line?
Tan Lei: Our main task is to build a dam and get the sandbags before the flood comes up. More than 100 people came to our troops. The division of labor was particularly clear. The sandbags were filled with sandbags. I am generally responsible for carrying sandbags, each sandbag average 30 to 40 pounds.
We work an average of more than ten hours a day. The weather will be sunny and rainy for a while, sometimes in the sun, sometimes in the rain, and the skin is black and red. There was also sand leaking out of the sandbag, sticking to the skin and hurting at the touch.
Beijing News: Are there enough rest days in these days?
Tan Lei: We usually work for an hour or two and can take a break. There is also a half hour break for lunch and dinner.
Because the work intensity is relatively high, the superior will give us enough time to sleep. For example, we went back to rest at one o'clock in the morning on the first day and set off at 9 o'clock the next day. The sleep time was six or seven hours, which is still guaranteed.
Beijing News: Have you encountered any more critical moments in the past few days?
Tan Lei: We received an urgent task on the evening of the 12th. (Jiangzhou Town) There are many serious seepages in the dam on the side of Zhoutou Village. If they are not dealt with in time, there may be "pipe gushing" (when the dam seepage is serious, fine sand is brought out with the water, forming holes and concentrating the water) Phenomenon, there is a risk of breaking the dike, and the harm is very great.
We immediately formed a team of dozens of people to dig diversion trenches in order to drain the seepage water.
In that case, work is particularly dangerous. We dig trenches under the dam, and water seepage may rush over at any time. In almost an hour, we dug out a diversion trench of more than 1,200 meters in an emergency to prevent accidents in time.
Beijing News: Do you have contact with the local people? How are their emotions?
Tan Lei: For safety, in addition to young and middle-aged people, many local people have already evacuated. Those who stay will come to the front to help. They are very active, helping to pack sand and carry sandbags.
Other folks will send us water and watermelon to console us. I was most impressed that one night, I was about to go back to rest, walking on the road, a fellow riding an electric car saw me, and specifically stopped to say to me, "Do you want to drink some water?" It feels very cordial.
Although I haven't had much time to communicate with them in the past few days, I can feel their enthusiasm for guarding their hometown and their gratitude to our front-line officers and soldiers.
Participate in flood relief and find the original intention of being a soldier
Beijing News: Before this flood relief, did you participate in similar disaster relief operations?
Tan Lei: No, I joined the army in 2018. I have only been in the army for more than two years. This is my first time participating in flood relief.
But I am a southerner. My hometown is Wangjiang County, Anhui Province. I have seen many floods since childhood, including the flood in 1998, so I am very familiar with the scene of the flood.
In 1998, I was only 3 years old. I vaguely remember that our house was by the river at that time. I watched the water overflow from the river channel and the trees under the river embankment until it was close to home. I heard from my family that there are a lot of People's Liberation Army coming to fight against floods.
I remember that one day late, I was asleep, and was called up by my family, and then they ran to a high place on their backs, saying that the flood was coming soon.
Beijing News: How is your family's situation in this flood?
Tan Lei: The township where my family lives is okay and relatively safe, but another town in the county has been flooded, and there are many PLAs fighting floods there. The town is only an hour’s drive from our house. I heard from my family that the village regularly organizes people to observe the river water level just in case.
Beijing News: How is Jiangzhou Town now? What are your plans for the next step?
Tan Lei: Compared with the previous two days, there was no rain on the 14th, and the water level also dropped. A few days ago, we were building dams. The dams we used for sandbags had already been built up to the seventh floor, so now we are mainly raising and strengthening the dams that have already been built, just in case.
But we still dare not relax because the weather forecast says that heavy rains may be coming in a few days.
Beijing News: What is your biggest feeling about participating in this flood relief effort?
Tan Lei: I feel that I have found my original intention to be a soldier.
I have always wanted to be a soldier since I was a child, because when I saw the deeds of the People's Liberation Army in my textbooks, adults would often say that the People's Liberation Army is good. When I first joined the army after graduating from university, our monitor told us that being a soldier is different from what you imagined and staged on TV. It seems that you can be welcomed by the people everywhere you go. In fact, the premise of being welcomed is to accept a lot of hardships. training.
Participating in flood relief this time was a training process for me. Through my own efforts, I got their respect, which made me feel very relieved and made me feel the significance and weight of being a soldier. No amount of sweat is worth it.
Beijing News reporter Zhou Xiaoqi