Affected by Typhoon Doksuri, extreme rainfall was recorded in north China and the regions along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, triggering floods and geological disasters and causing heavy casualties in Beijing and Hebei.
Data showed that from 8 p.m. on Saturday to 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the average rainfall in Beijing was 261.8 mm, with the maximum rainfall exceeding 700mm at the scenic spot in the Mentougou and Changping Districts.
The Central Meteorological Station (CMS) extended the warning that Mentougou District is still in the state of orange alert as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the second-highest level. Other districts have been downgraded to yellow rainstorm warning, the third level.
To ensure basic life and medical needs of flood victims, an army aviation brigade assigned to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) 81st Group Army have joined rescue efforts to drop essential supplies from the air to inaccessible villages and airlift stranded residents in danger of drowning.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, soldiers and workers were seen busy loading supplies such as instant noodles, bottled water and blankets onto helicopters.
"We have mainly prepared two kinds of supplies. One is food. Considering that running water is hardly available in the affected areas, we have prepared some self-heating instant noodles, which can achieve self-cooling just by using bottled water. In addition, in response to the temperature drop, we've also prepared things such as raincoats and blankets for them to keep warm," said Xu Lina, spokeswoman for the Wumart Group, a leading Chinese retailer and submarket chain.
Upon receiving the order, the army aviation brigade acted quickly and worked overnight to finish loading and other flight preparations. They also installed medical equipment onto a helicopter used for transferring the injured.
At around 5:10 a.m. on Tuesday, four transport helicopters carrying 26 officers and soldiers took off for the hardest-hit Mentougou District, where they will perform tasks such as dropping relief supplies from the air and transferring patients. They plan to deliver 1,900 food items, 900 raincoats and 700 blankets as well as other supplies in dire need to the flood victims. If the weather conditions allow, rescuers will also land and hand out the materials to residents.
According to the municipal authorities, as of 5 a.m. on Tuesday, over 60,000 residents in the city, including about 30,000 residents in Fangshan District, had been relocated in response to the rainstorms.
The rescue and relief work is still underway.
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