Chasing the flood

　　On the day Tongda Town was flooded, Geng Guang just finished his rescue work in Guzhen Town, Lu'an City. Before catching his breath, he took the team and drove for more than 240 kilometers. The rain got heavier and heavier along the way and arrived at Lujiang, Hefei. It was already night in the county, and Tongda Town was in the north of Lujiang County.

　　The on-board radio keeps reminding the road traffic information and the latest disaster situation, the walkie-talkie they carry has been ringing, and the team members are discussing with each other to the rescue destination. The southward shift of the rain belt caused heavy rain in Hefei. Information from the Meteorological Department shows that since the plum rain began on June 10, as of 16:00 on July 26, the average rainfall in Hefei has been 829 mm, which has exceeded 236% of the annual plum rainfall, breaking the historical extreme value since the meteorological record.

On July 24, in Xuejiaxu Village, the corner of a rescue team's pants was dripping.

　　Among them, Lujiang County bears the brunt, with an average precipitation of 1,011 mm, and the territory suffered a once-in-a-century flood. Many rivers flowed over the embankment and roared towards people's gathering places. Nearly 190,000 people were affected by the disaster and 60,000 people were forced to evacuate urgently.

　　Geng Guang's task is to assist the government in transferring these people besieged by the flood. He is the leader of a social emergency rescue team. He has been involved in earthquake rescue work before. This summer, due to severe floods, he temporarily bought two assault boats and then began chasing the flood to save people.

On July 24, in Xuejiaxu Village, Tongda Town, Lujiang County, Hefei City, Anhui Province, the rescue team was packing up rescue equipment after the search mission ended.

risk

　　The day that Geng Guang and the others arrived in Tongda Town, Lujiang County was July 22, when the largest dike in Lujiang County, Shidawei, had just overwhelmed the embankment and caused 4 villages to be flooded and about 6,500 people were besieged by the flood. The flood swallowed many people, and until today, one person is still out of touch.

　　"I have never seen such a large amount of water." Geng Guang said. Many villages in Tongda Town have been submerged under water. Only the top of the street lights are still exposed on the water. The assault boat is directly on the roofs of the villagers' houses. , When sailing, if you are not careful, your head will hit the wire. However, the water level continues to rise, spreading over high ground, and constantly approaching new gathering places for residents.

　　Time is running out, and the next day they arrive in the same big town, they begin to rescue. Inflate the assault boat and push the boat into the water, Geng Guang still beats a drum in his heart, "This is not the same as earthquake rescue." He said that earthquake rescue is static. After the earthquake, many situations can be known and controllable, while water rescue "is completely. Feel the blind".

On July 24, in Xuejiaxu Village, the Jiangsu Grace Charity Rescue Team prepared to launch the assault boat to search for the trapped people after receiving the rescue information.

　　This 1.8-meter man discovered that he was so afraid of water for the first time. When driving the assault boat, his hands kept sweating, and he felt unwilling to hold the engine handle. Sometimes a wave hits the assault boat and the assault boat will deviate from its direction. He must always pay attention to the surrounding situation, after all, the risks on the water are perceptible. Obstacles such as refrigerators and wardrobes that are swept by the flood will float on the water. As long as you focus on them, they will generally not hit them.

　　The real danger comes from underwater, no one can see what's going on underwater. Sometimes, a piece of glass or some sharp objects will pierce the assault boat. If the engine is entangled with water plants or wires, the boat may roll over... During the rescue, if people fall into the water, they can only pray at this time. The water is calm and calm.

　　In fact, the risks faced by water rescue are far more than this. The situation of each water area is different, and the water velocity and underwater environment will cause different water flow phenomena.

　　"We are most afraid of encountering whirlpools and boiling water areas." Wang Haibo, secretary general of Chengdu Shouyu Public Welfare Development Center, told China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily. When the whirlpool rises, the assault boat cannot get close, otherwise it will be carried by the water. go. And the boiling water area-the high-level water body creates a large vortex in the low-lying area, in which you can repeatedly experience the cyclic process of being brought to the bottom of the water, pulled to the surface, pushed to the periphery, and sinking into the bottom. If you encounter it, safety guide There is only one-absolutely avoid entering.

　　Wang Haibo and Geng Guang have been good friends for many years. They have participated in many rescue operations side by side, and this time is the same. In the rescue operation in Tongda Town, they have searched and rescued more than 30 people so far. When talking about rescue risks, Geng Guang said that a rescue team that is not afraid of death is not a good rescue team, but "knowing that someone is inside, can we not save it?"

On July 24, in Xuejiaxu Village, the rescue team helped a local villager return home to fetch important documents.

Rescue

　　For rescuers, every time they participate in rescue operations, they are actually fighting for their lives because there are too many unknowable risks.

　　For example, on July 21, when Geng Guang and Wang Haibo were involved in the rescue in Guzhen Town, they encountered a dangerous situation. That was Geng Guang's first assault boat, and he was particularly impressed with this day.

　　"There were a lot of rescue missions that day, and the members of the team basically went out to search and rescue, and then I had to go on it myself." Geng Guang was at a loss when facing the assault boat. Before that, he had only learned the knowledge of assault boats at the theoretical level, and had never really been into the water. He didn't even know how to install the oil pipe for the newly bought boat. "I am embarrassed to say this at the scene, I can only say that I am very busy, can you help me install it."

　　The three grandparents who asked for help were two elderly people who were nearly 70 years old and an eight or nine-year-old child. Geng Guang called on Wang Haibo to search and rescue. There was no accident in the rescue. They picked up people smoothly, but On the return journey, an accident happened-a rapid rushed in, and an old man could not stand firmly and pulled out the key to the assault boat engine.

　　"The assault boat suddenly got out of control. When the rapids rushed, we were rushed out twenty or thirty meters in an instant." Wang Haibo later described that at that moment, Geng Guang's face suddenly turned pale, the people on the boat were at a loss, and the children were there. Shouting "I'm afraid I'm afraid", while saying "Uncle, I'll cheer for you".

　　Later, looking at the opportunity, Wang Haibo hugged a telephone pole. Geng Guang restarted the engine urgently, and the assault boat finally stabilized. The people in a boat are lingering fears and haven't spoken for a long time.

　　In this flood rescue, Geng Guang has encountered similar dangers several times. On another occasion, a besieged old man was transferred. The assault boat could not get to the shore due to the rapid water flow. He could only help the old man to wade away. As a result, there was another rapid flow, and he almost fell to the ground when he weighed more than 200 kilograms. , While pulling the old man tightly, he wrapped his feet around the water weeds, and persisted for more than ten minutes before the water flow decreased.

　　Back on the assault boat, he gasped for breath, and he thought a lot in his mind for ten minutes. If he couldn’t hold on, he would walk with the old man, maybe there was still a chance. "The worst result is "Life for life", I am not at a loss."

　　Rescue is a "draft task", Geng Guang understands, but he is still willing to "work hard" for it.

　　Chen Weiping, Geng Guang’s companion, said that every time he listened to his companions sharing stories about the rescue, everyone was moved a lot. When they heard the other person say "thank you", everyone would be particularly happy. "For us, thank you. It's very heavy."-No one wants to take risks, but some things must be done. Waiting for the flood on the Lujiang River to recede, they are ready to continue walking along the Yangtze River.

　　(The pictures in this article are all taken by China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Zhang Junbin)

　　China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily reporter Zhang Junbin and Wang Lei Source: China Youth Daily