Heavy rains came to Nanjing this afternoon, marking the start of the region’s annual flood season. Prudently, city authorities have been preparing for the inevitable by conducting a series of flood-fighting and emergency-rescue drills, while citizens shall do well to make same.
The picturesque isle of Jiangxinzhou in the Yangtze River was the venue for the drills which got underway last week, on 28 April. The drills assumed that the region had suffered continuous heavy rains and a variety of potentially dangerous situations had emerged.
A large selection of both personnel and equipment was deployed in the drills, including helicopters, 850 firefighters, 18 rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) and even seven unmanned rescue ships, reported Nanjing Daily.
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Some drill participants were also marooned on makeshift “isolated islands” on the river, in a simulation of people trapped on the roof of their building with water levels rising all around them.
While commonplace in Nanjing, on account of both heavy rain and the rising waters of the Yangtze River brought from upstream, flooding in recent years has been partially alleviated thanks to enormous, long aqueducts carved into the northern banks of the river. As the waters of the Yangtze rise, much of the overflow is channeled into the aqueducts, thus reducing the chances for a bursting of the river’s banks.
To assist readers, particularly newcomers to the city, The Nanjinger a few years ago published a handy guide to the annual floods, with many useful dos and don’ts.
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Of particular note, stock up on a few essential food and drink items (even instant noodles are ok), beware of manhole covers that have been opened to assist with drainage and be careful when crossing the street; it is best to follow what others are doing, unless you are extremely familiar with what lies beneath the waters.
Further advice to stay at home may not come as very welcome during these times, but as we have all learned of late, it’s a sure-fire way to stay safe, and dry.
Flood season in this part of China typically comes to an end by the start of July.
