Gone with the flood
Of residual mud and lost chickens
Two years later, I am back in Wuyuan County again because of another heavy rain episode. We arrived eight days after the disaster. The flood has gone, and only the burning sun remains.
Although the numbers show that it was a record-breaking rainfall, the damage in Wuyuan County as a whole was not as bad as two years ago:
In 2020, 136.6 thousand people were affected, 64.6 thousand people were evacuated, more than 20 thousand needed immediate aid, and 6096.1 acres of farmland were damaged.
This time, 96.8 thousand people were affected, 9 thousand were evacuated, 12 thousand people needed immediate aid, and 3671 acres of farmland were damaged.
Maybe because the flood came in at broad daylight this time. Or disaster prevention measures have been improved since the last flood, and roads and buildings have been reinforced.
But man's effort has its limitations. Despite the preparation, pervasive floods and destructive landslides still left their marks in many villages.
It's been an entire week since the flood receded, and cleaning in areas besides the hills is still ongoing. The excavators are working hard to move tons of mud out of courtyards and roads. Trucks carrying dirt come and go, leaving trails of dust clouds.
The cleaning process is slow, both outdoor and at home. Many households built near hills saw mud push through the door and windows. Walls that were once white are now mud-stained mahogany. Bowls, pots and other household appliances lay covered in dirt, waiting to be cleaned.
We spoke to many locals throughout the trip. Apart from their destroyed farmland, many spoke about their possessions washed away. The village's small sundry shop spoke about trying to salvage items that might still be edible if the wrapping was strong enough to withhold the flood. Families talked about rowing around in boats to search and recover furniture that was washed out of their homes. Farmers talked about their broken chicken coops and the chickens they lost to the flood. Many were extremely upset as they recounted the feeling of helplessness seeing the lives under their care disappear in the flood.
▲The owner of this house could not hold back her tears as she recounted the time when the landslide pushed through her home.
▲This chicken coop was home to many chickens, all gone now due to the floods.
Of ruins and dried sand
Besides Wuyuan, our disaster assessment trip also included a first-time visit to Ganxian County.
It quickly became apparent that Ganxian County has less experience with floods than the upstream county Wuyuan.
There were still century-old ancestral halls built with brick and wood in the villages. Unfortunately, the flood damaged the structure and the building collapsed, forcing the village to demolish its historical relic.
Some brick buildings were severely damaged by flood and driftwood that had rushed down from upstream. We saw a building where the room on the ground floor had only two walls standing, exposing a terrifying sight of broken furniture and bed.
We also saw damaged roads, where the whole section or half of the roadbed was washed empty, leaving the road mid-air. All of these were disturbing sights to behold.
In addition to damaged buildings and roads, farmland here also suffered. We passed by flooded corn fields, and crops in low-lying areas were still drowned in water. The murky water puddles emitted the smell of rotting plants.
There were stretches of land which looked like wasteland filled with sand and gravel at first glance. But locals told us they once were land filled with rapeseed, rice and taro. After the flood, tons of sand and gravel buried the topsoil and crops, along with the blood and sweat of their owners. Some lands were abandoned for good because it would be too expensive to restore the fertility and use of the land.
Everywhere we went, we saw massive losses.
But what is lost is gone. Life goes on, and the future awaits. During this trip, I saw many tears of sadness and heavy sighs for the future. But after all the anger and sorrow, people will pick themselves up and continue walking. If they are supported with love and compassion in this journey, I'm sure each step they take to rebuild their lives will be more confident and promising. (By Cassandra Li)
▲ A house that was completely wiped out by the flood.
▲Farmland that became barren. This will be a blow to the owner of this land and his family. We've met farmers who are already worried about their children's school fees as their livelihood has now been cut off.