Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Wenjiagou community, one of the most severe flood-stricken communities along the Fenhe River in North China's Shanxi Province, Jiexiu city was carpeted with sludge on Thursday as the Global Times visited the region. 

The heavy rainfall last week during the National Day holidays inundated the entire community, leaving basements within all buildings and underground parking lots submerged by water.

Residents were properly evacuated and resettled on October 5, a night that people had never imagined  before.

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Zhou Yinxiang, a resident who returned to the community to aid the post-disaster recovery on Thursday recalled that, "the flooding once reached waist-deep, about four steps of the stairway high… I saw my basement was entirely submerged in water after continuous rainfall."

Zhou was evacuated to a relocation site following the guidance and help of the local Party committee, fire fighters and volunteers, together with hundreds of residents.

"Several buses came to pick up residents, but as the water level rose higher, no vehicles were able to get close to them. Then excavators were used to help residents get out of their houses. I saw some elderly who insisted on taking their TVs. When repeated persuasion could not be made, rescue personnel even agreed to load TVs on the excavator," a resident surnamed Liang, who runs a pharmacy in front of the community told the Global Times.

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

It was a scene that many never saw in their entire life, a local police officer who participated in the rescue at the community recalled. "I feel that I had never talked that much on that night, in order to persuade residents to evacuate."

Young people understood the urgency, but not those elderly. They refused to believe their homes were inundated. 

Some residents were scared to leave and thought they may never return. Some have spent all their income on their house or furniture. But people were relieved and chose to trust the decisions that we made, when we raised the CPC flag, An Ruoling, the deputy head of the Yitang town, said.

Since Thursday happened to be the Double Ninth Festival, representatives from the local government visited some elderly residents at resettlements, sending their blessings and bringing daily necessities. "We understand residents must feel sad under these circumstances, especially on a festival day when they could not make back home. We hope our visits could comfort them," An said.

To ensure their safety, residents in the Wenjiagou Village community have to wait for professionals to conduct an overall assessment of the safety of their houses before they can officially return, but they are allowed to return home briefly to pick up daily necessities and clothing. 

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The Global Times saw the local government has sent special personnel to visit and collect water samples from residents' houses for testing to ensure the safety of drinking water so residents can return as soon as possible.

Days after the water receded, some pumps were still seen working to drain basements and underground parking lots. The community used 27 pumps to drain the water for four days and nights.

Volunteers also came to disinfect every day, covering roads, corridors, and every corner of the community. Power and water resumption can be made when disinfection and the clearance of sludge is finished, the Global Times learnt. 

With the water receding, Liang's pharmacy opened again this week, but it barely saw any consumers. 

"I have to make a living. I hope residents here will come back soon as the efforts of all are making this happen."