From noon on July 21 until early the following morning, Beijing
was hit by the heaviest rains in 61 years, triggering floods and
other natural disasters in some districts. Official statistics show
the rainfall was the heaviest since the city started keeping
records of weather conditions. About 1.9 million people were
affected by the storm. The rain had caused 77 deaths as of July 26,
and more than 50,000 people had been evacuated. Economic losses had
exceeded 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion).
Dealing with the aftermath is a huge challenge for city managers
and residents alike. We need to answer some questions raised by the
terrible disaster.
The rain revealed a weakness in Beijing' ability to cope with
emergencies. Before the severe weather, a special meeting is held
to prepare for the rainstorm and form a relief team of 160,000
people: a very big operation. Nonetheless, the downpour led to
massive property damage as well as scores of deaths. There is a
problem in disaster warnings and implementation of relief efforts.
Short messages, the media and the Internet were not fully utilized
to give advance warning to the public. As a result, citizens were
not prepared to cope with the impending rainstorm.
We need to address questions such as how to help the most
vulnerable, like children and elderly people, protect themselves in
disastrous weather conditions. We should also consider providing a
free toll to drivers on expressways and determine what actions
should be taken by public transportation companies and businesses
to provide shelter to those stranded by natural disasters.
Beijing residents are used to seeing water accumulate in some
streets during the rainy season. These hazardous conditions have
not been solved in time, and the latest heavy rain again revealed
this problem. As a result, the whole city's drainage system is
unable to function in heavy rains. We should learn from the
drainage systems in Japan and Europe.
The severe damage from the storm has dealt a heavy blow to
Beijing's image as China's capital city and hampered its efforts to
develop into an international metropolis. Nevertheless, we are
happy to see an improvement in the sense of community among the
residents. Particularly, the public's sense of responsibility for
others and their interest in public affairs has increased.
In the rainstorm, Beijing netizens organized volunteers on
micro-blogs to pick up stranded travelers from the airport and take
them to the city for free. Some residents set aside their wariness
toward strangers and published their home address online to welcome
people to stay overnight at their homes. Some commercial
institutions posted notices on the Internet offering free
accommodation and food to those stuck in the rain. People from
different walks of life clung together during this difficult time.
This warms our hearts and makes us proud of Beijing.
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