Jiading steps up to help Henan flood victims
For the past two months, flood-ravaged Henan Province affected the hearts of people across China, as the rain didn't stop and the death toll kept rising. With the support of people from all walks of life, the natural disaster finally wound down, and residents have returned to their normal lives.
People and companies in Jiading played an active role in the battle against the flood. Despite the severity of the situation, they headed to the flood zone without complaining.
The following are stories of people who selflessly devoted themselves to rescuing people in Henan and doing everything they could to improve the overall situation.
Zhao Kai and Li Zhun, who work at the State Grid Jiading Branch, received the call to support Henan early in the morning on July 22. They were part of the first group from the branch to leave for the worst-hit region.Another six workers took materials with them to join the second group that night.
Repairing the grid was arduous due to the severe damage from the storm. Eight front-line workers with a batch of professional equipment, materials and a power-generating truck were allocated to carry out repairs and restore power to local residents as quickly as possible.
Employees from State Grid Jiading Branch prepare to take part in electricity repair work in Henan's severely flooded areas.
"I felt so bad after watching the news on TV, so I decided to use my professional skills to help them recover," said Dong Zhiwen, who was part of the second group and responsible for generating emergency power.
And Zhao, a Zhengzhou native, started to carry out the emergency repair work as soon as he arrived, before even visiting his family.
"I knew the electricity and water were both out at home, but my parents were safe and sound, so I could commit myself to the emergency situation with no worries," said Zhao.
It has been two years since he last went home due to the COVID-19 outbreak and work."I miss my parents a lot, and I'll go back home to see them after the alleviation work ends," he said.
On July 23, Jia Yalong, a firefighter in Jiading who was on vacation at home, sent a letter to Henan's Zhaohe Town government saying he was willing to take part in the flood recovery work.
"My hometown had suffered from rainstorms for many days, and the county where I lived had the danger of a reservoir collapsing," recalled Jia. "As a firefighter, I have the duty to save people in trouble, and that was the right time to play a role in such a situation."
So Jia wrote the letter, but didn't say a word to his parents. Coincidentally, the day he wrote the letter was his 30th birthday, and he felt it was a meaningful birthday.
"I remember I met an old man taking his two granddaughters to catch fish. It was nighttime, and his granddaughters were afraid to walk in the dark. So I quickly arrived at the scene and took the 6-year-old and 8-year-old girls and the old man back to a safe location. They appreciated my effort," said Jia, wearing a smile.
Jia Yalong builds a safety barrier in Henan's Zhaohe Town. A firefighter in Jiading, he devoted himself to fighting the flood during his vacation.
In addition to the firefighters, businesses based in Jiading lent a helping hand to Henan.
Knowing that Henan suffered its worst rainstorms in recorded history, United Imaging Medical Technology Company launched an emergency command team, heading to the front line with support from the entire company.
After contacting local hospitals that were stricken by the disaster to assess their current medical equipment situations, service engineers traveled to the hospitals for emergency repairs despite the nighttime rainstorm.
In the meantime, the company issued a handbook for how to protect equipment during the flood, and provided 24-hour repair service to ensure the safe and stable operation of the equipment.
A high-end piece of medical equipment worth 50 million yuan (US$7.7 million) was donated to Henan and allocated to disaster-hit hospitals.
A team of 20 engineers also helped return hospitals to normal operations and offered free testing and maintenance services for hospitals using the company's equipment.
More than 20 logistics rescue trucks from JD.COM loaded with the first batch of donated materials arrived in Henan's Zhongmou County on July 21. Soon after the rainstorms hit, the company quickly collected a huge number of spades, life jackets, raincoats and galoshes, as well as bottled water, instant noodles and sausages from the nearest Yayi intelligent warehouse in Zhengzhou. These provisions were then sent to regions in need via JD Logistics.
There is an internal rule at JD.COM that anywhere in the country a catastrophe hits, the managers of the closest warehouse have the right to donate all the materials in it to those in need.
Rescue trucks from JD.COM loaded with the first batch of donated materials left for Zhongmou County in Henan to help local people recover from the flooding.
The JD.COM Asia No. 1 Shanghai Jiading Logistic Park made great efforts to make sure deliveries were safe and sound.
Due to the blockade of local traffic, many commercials in Henan met the limitation of the delivery. JD.COM announced 10 measures on July 22, including fee deductions, a service hotline and free insurance to shops' onwers, to maintain store operations under the "safety first" concept. The company also allocated resources to help businesses get through the difficult period.
Another Jiading-based company CHICMAX Group donated materials worth 5 million yuan to Henan, including disinfectant, sunscreen and mosquito repellent, to Henan.
