Chinanews.com, Chongqing, August 20th, title: Flood passes through the main city of Chongqing: the water does not return, the people do not sleep

　　China News Network reporter Guo Hong Han Lu

　　Ciqikou, a thousand-year-old town at 1 am on the 20th, was divided into two parts by lights. The place covered by the flood was silent in the night, without a trace of light. Where there is light, there is still a distance from the flood.

　　"Please don't get close to the cordon, and move back." Zhang Peng held the flashlight and stood where the night and lights meet. The flooded place was less than one metre behind him. In front of him were several local people who were taking pictures with their mobile phones near the cordon.

　　As a staff member of the Cultural Tourism Service Center of Ciqikou Ancient Town Management Committee, Shapingba District, Chongqing City, Zhang Peng's current main job is to persuade people close to the cordon to leave.

The picture shows the submerged tunnel at Ciqikou. Photo by Han Lu

　　"We have been helping the residents and merchants of the ancient town to relocate since the 18th. At the same time, we are responsible for the inspection of the entire ancient town to prevent people from approaching and crossing the cordon and entering the flooded area." Zhang Peng told reporters that in the past few days, Ciqikou Ancient Town Management Committee, Ciqi More than 500 staff members from Kou Street were dispatched, and even the guides from the visitor center joined in, "everyone who can use it is used." At the same time, militia emergency platoons from non-Linjiang streets in the area also came to support.

　　A reporter from Chinanews.com followed the inspectors into the already darkened ancient town of Ciqikou. Because of the flood, the ancient town has been completely cut off. The only light source is a few beams of flashlights from the hands of the staff and the merchants who grabbed the items.

　　The main street of the ancient town where people used to visit in the past can only barely see the stone road underneath through the flashlight. The low-lying roadway on the right side of the street has been completely submerged by the flood, and only the billboards hanging on the high places remain. Staff are on duty outside the cordon at each lane to prevent anyone from crossing it.

The picture shows the main street of Ciqikou Ancient Town submerged by the flood. Photo by Han Lu

　　"I didn't expect the flood to rise so fast. This is the second time we moved things. Let's count as much as we can move." At 1:30 in the morning, Ren Yong, who has been operating a ceramic shop in the ancient town for 8 years, and his family are still there Transfer goods in the store. Ren Yong's shop opened in the middle of the main street where the commerce of the ancient town is concentrated. At this time, the edge of the flood that had not passed the ancient town was less than three meters from his shop.

　　"According to experience, there is still about an hour to move things. Now we can only move valuable things to a higher place. Fill pots and pots that can't be moved with water, and try to ensure that they don't float when the flood comes." Ren Yong reluctantly told reporters, "This way the loss will be smaller."

　　"Is there anyone here? Are there anyone trapped?" A reporter from Chinanews.com encountered Wu Chao, director of Ciqikou Sub-district Office in Shapingba District, and several staff members in the ancient town. They raised their torches and are once again checking house by house whether there are residents and businesses stranded.

　　“At present, there are more than a dozen left-behind residents and businesses in the higher areas of the ancient town, and the rest are our staff on duty. As the water level continues to rise, we are also shrinking on duty backward." Wu Chao told reporters, according to The water conservancy department predicts that the flood peak will pass the Ciqikou area at about 5 am. "We will inspect the uninundated areas of the ancient town every hour to prevent accidents."

　　In the higher areas of the ancient town, the left-behind residents used bed boards and stools to build a simple rest area by the street. In the light of the illuminator, some people are already lying down, and some are just sitting quietly. The inspecting staff briefly asked a sitting resident about the situation, exhorted a few words, and hurried to the next place.

　　"For the first time this year, we used the'smart Ciqikou Management Platform' to simulate the flooded area of ​​the peak water level, and then made corresponding plans. Through information technology, we can more accurately predict the flooded area and respond in advance." Ciqikou Street Emergency Office Director Zhao Jiaping told the China News Network reporter that as soon as the water level warning was received, Ciqikou Street had a more accurate estimate of the residents and businesses that needed to be transferred, "this also ensures the safe transfer of everyone."

　　The reporter followed the staff to complete a round of inspections and returned to the streets outside the ancient town. It was almost 3 am. The streets at this time were the same as in the past. The street lights were bright and there were many figures shaking: the municipal management personnel were still moving the guardrails on the roadside, emergency personnel were sitting by the roadside on standby, the staff began to distribute lunch boxes to everyone...

　　"The flood is expected to reach its peak at 5 in the morning. We will stay here until the water shows no sign of receding." Zhang Peng, who had been on duty near the cordon before, had a hoarse voice. He rubbed his eyes and opened it to himself. Jar of instant coffee.

　　As of 4 a.m. on the 20th, the flood level at Cuntan Station on the Yangtze River exceeded the historical extreme value of 191.41 meters since the station was established in 1939, reaching 191.47 meters, with a flow exceeding 74,600 cubic meters per second, and a peak water level of 191.62 meters at 8:15. Ensure that the water level is 8.12 meters. At 6 o'clock, the Jialing River Ciqikou water level reached 192.63 meters, the super-warning water level was 11.63 meters, and the super-guaranteed water level was 8.63 meters. It is understood that the transfer of personnel and property along the Yangtze River and Jialing River in Chongqing has been completed ahead of schedule to ensure that no one is settled and no one is missed. For the past few days, all rescue and disaster relief teams have been waiting in the Liangjiang River Basin of Chongqing, and the corresponding disaster relief equipment and materials are ready.

　　The rolling flood that struck did not stop the city from recovering in a new day. With a ray of sunshine, Chongqing ushered in a new day of peak travel. Rail transit shuttles between mountains and water. The main traffic arteries run as usual, waiting for the flood peak to pass.