Review: Post-Disaster Reconstruction After Beijing's "7·21" Rainstorm

2013-07-31 604 0人评论
       A year has passed since Beijing's catastrophic "7·21" rainstorm. The floodwaters have receded, the city has regained its usual bustle, and people's lives have gradually returned to normal. But what no one will ever forget is that when dark clouds pressed down on the city and the rain poured in torrents, society's "positive energy" was stirred into action: late at night, through online communication, netizens spontaneously organized the "Wangjing Private Car Fleet" and drove through the heavy rain to the airport to evacuate stranded passengers; the One Foundation Rescue Alliance rescue team, drawing on rich wilderness rescue experience, braved the danger of flash floods to go deep into the Fangshan mountains to rescue villagers trapped by the floodwaters; and there was Li Fanghong, director of the Yanshan Branch Police Station, who fought to rescue trapped villagers in his jurisdiction and ultimately made the supreme sacrifice... One act of "positive energy" after another was passed along. We saw the most primal "love and trust" in people's hearts, and we also saw the most direct embodiment of the "Beijing Spirit."

 

  Post-disaster reconstruction work begins in Fangshan, with emergency repairs to destroyed dikes

  Seven days later, society's "positive energy" converged on post-disaster reconstruction in the severely affected areas of Fangshan and Mentougou in Beijing. A reporter recently traveled to the hardest-hit area of Fangshan and learned from the local civil affairs department that the "7·21" rainstorm caused three types of natural disasters in the district: waterlogging, flash floods, and mudslides. According to preliminary statistics, all 25 townships (subdistricts) in Fangshan District were affected to varying degrees; the severely affected area covered nearly 1,000 square kilometers, with 800,000 people affected and economic losses of 6.1 billion yuan. With strong assistance from all sectors of society, post-disaster reconstruction in Fangshan District is now being carried out in an orderly manner.

  The reporter learned that on July 25, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development organized 70 housing safety inspection and appraisal experts, divided into more than 20 housing safety inspection teams, and dispatched them to Fangshan District, the area most severely hit by the "7·21" rainstorm disaster, to conduct inspections of dangerous buildings in both urban and rural areas of the affected region. The inspection results must clearly determine whether buildings are safe and habitable, provide repair recommendations, and formulate reconstruction plans for destroyed houses. This marks the full launch of government-led post-disaster reconstruction work.

  On July 27, as a private enterprise that has been based in Fangshan for 12 years, the well-known domestic health products company Bishengyuan, even though it was itself affected by the "7·21" rainstorm, launched a top-down "donation campaign" within the company and made a one-time donation of one million yuan to the Fangshan District government. At the same time, employees of Bishengyuan also spontaneously donated to the affected villagers, contributing their own "positive energy" to their reconstruction of homes.

  "Small drops make a great love. Although our strength is 'insignificant' in the face of the losses caused by this natural disaster, we believe that as long as each of us can contribute our own 'positive energy,' we will surely overcome the disaster and rebuild our homes," said Ms. Gao Yan, vice chairwoman of Bishengyuan Holdings Co., Ltd. She stated that in the face of the rainstorm disaster, Bishengyuan will join hands with the people of Fangshan to overcome the difficulties together.

  The rainstorm was merciless, but people are compassionate. As was said on Weibo: a rainstorm destroyed our homes, leaving so many displaced and even taking lives... But we also saw "positive energy" from individuals and enterprises continuously gathering and being passed along. This not only drives the reconstruction of homes in the disaster areas and soothes the grieving hearts of those who lost loved ones, but also shows us a "warm" Beijing and a society that continues to progress and develop under the power of "positive energy."

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