Beijing’s Record Rainfall Kills 33 People and Affects Nearly 1.29 Million People

Credit：Beijing Daily

BEIJING, August 9 (TiPost) — As a result of the typhoon-induced torrential rain, nearly 1.29 million people were affected in Beijing, with 59,000 collapsed houses and 15,000 hectares of damaged crops, according to the press conference on flood control and disaster relief work held on Wednesday.

The property losses caused by this disaster are still being counted.

As of Tuesday, the heavy rain in Beijing caused 33 deaths, mainly due to flooding and collapsed houses, 5 deaths involving officials and rescue volunteers and workers, and 18 people were still missing, including one rescue worker.

The meteorological monitoring data shows the rainfall at Wangjiayuan Reservoir in Changping district reached 745 millimeters, which is the largest rainfall in Beijing since instrumental measurements were recorded 140 years ago. Three places recorded more than 1,000 millimeters of rainfall and 51 places of more than 700 millimeters, according to the geological monitoring data. Beijing’s average rainfall reached 331 millimeters, with Mentougou district having 538.1 mm and Fangshan district 598.7 mm.

The rainfall resulted in fast and severe flooding. The maximum flood flow at Lugouqiao in the Yongding River region rose from 1,000 cubic meters per second to a peak of 4,650 cubic meters per second in only two hours.

The Beijing municipal government has made massive rescue and relief efforts in response to the disaster.

Roads: more than 3,400 people worked to resume the passage of National Highway No. 108 and No. 109 with 2,400 sets of machinery and equipment in two days. All 256 disconnected villages had emergency access on Monday.

Electricity: more than 2,400 people and 427 electric generators were allocated to restore the electricity in 16 neighborhoods. As of Tuesday, power supply had been restored to all villages except for nine that were relocated.

Water supply: Beijing deployed more than 700 people and more than 70 emergency water supply vehicles to repair the two main water plants in Liangxiang ,Fangshan district and Chengzi, Mentougou district, ensuring the regional water supply. As of Tuesday, water supply was restored to all villages except for five whose villagers were relocated.

Communication: as of Tuesday, communications had been restored in all 342 villages.

Multi-pronged measures have been taken to properly resettle the affected people. As of Tuesday, the city had transferred more than 82,000 people and resettled the affected people in village halls, schools and gyms. They were provided with sufficient basic living materials, medical personnel and relevant medicines, psychological counseling and other services.

Beijing dispatched helicopters for 64 times and drones for 66 times to deliver more than 840,000 items of living necessities and emergency supplies and a total of 26 tons of food, water, medicine to the severely affected areas.

Beijing carried out medical treatments and prevented epidemics after the disaster. The city dispatched a 242-member medical working group to key areas, transferred more than 3,000 sick and injured people, and assigned 48 experts to guide and support medical treatment in key areas. Beijing strengthened the infectious disease monitoring and early warning and emergency response, and monitored water quality and ensured disinfection in the affected areas to avoid major epidemics after the disaster.

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