The county of Pingjiang in Yueyang, Central China's Hunan Province is suffering from severe flooding. Photo: VCG

"Our media center is now under water," in a video clip released early Tuesday by the Integrated Media Center in Pingjiang county in Hunan Province that faces the worst flooding in 70 years due to heavy rains, a reporter revealed the complete inundation of the first floor of their media center, which has sparked public concerns over the county's wellness and gained a thumbs-up from many netizens for the local journalists holding fast to their positions.

Pingjiang, a county that is home to 1.11 million people in Hunan Province, Central China, declared a state of emergency on Monday night. The Miluo River flash flood, which runs through Pingjiang county before merging with the Yangtze River, reached a height of 77.67 meters as of Tuesday morning, surpassing the alert level by seven meters, and marking the highest water level recorded since 1954.

An employee from the media center was quoted by the Chinese media outlet cqcb.com that the center's building is located near the Miluo River, approximately 200 meters away from the bank. On Monday afternoon when journalists returned to the center's second floor to write articles and edit videos, floodwaters rushed into the first floor of the office building. 

"The deluge started pouring in at 3 pm, and in less than 30 minutes, the entire first floor was submerged, and we didn't have time to move the equipment out of the first floor."

The staff member said that on the afternoon of Monday, the first floor was flooded with water approximately 2 meters deep. By noon on Tuesday, although the water had receded, it was still about one meter deep, making it impassable.

On Monday evening, following the instructions from local authorities, staff members at the center prepared to evacuate and move to a temporary office. At that time, a rescue team's inflatable boat arrived at the building and evacuated more than 20 staff members of the center. On the way to the temporary office, they helped rescue other stranded people.

On Tuesday, some staff members of the media center stayed on the front lines reporting on disaster relief, some were working in the temporary news room, while others are providing logistical support to ensure the frontline operations run smoothly. "Our center is working together with local people to fight this deluge and provide disaster relief," said a staff member.

This news has caught the attention of many netizens. "For the sake of reporting the first-hand news, stay strong and stay safe," read one comment.

Global Times