31 dead after flooding China evacuates 16,000 people due to flooding, but forgets nursing home
In Taishitun near Beijing, a sudden flood inundated a nursing home and killed 31 people. The authorities had evacuated many residents but overlooked the home.
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- At the end of July, the Qingshui He River overflowed its banks in Taishitun near Beijing after days of rain.
- A nursing home was quickly flooded and 31 of the 69 residents died.
- The authorities had evacuated thousands of people, but did not include the home in the emergency plan.
Taishitun is a small town in the north-east of Beijing, around 110 kilometers from the city center. It is located in the plain, far from mountains and the risk of landslides. There have also been no major floods here for decades. The nearest river, the Qingshui He, runs about 400 meters from the town center and flows into a large reservoir.
Until July, no one expected that it could ever flood here. But shortly after midnight on July 28, this changed abruptly: after days of rainfall, the river suddenly burst its banks.
Within minutes, streets were flooded, trees uprooted and cars swept away. Residents woke each other up and sought shelter on the roofs.
The authorities had evacuated over 16,000 people in the Miyun district in advance. However, the local nursing home was not on the list. It was one of the first buildings to be flooded, as reported by the Chinese edition of theNew York Times.
There were 69 elderly people living there, 55 of whom were in need of full or partial care. Eight employees were on duty. The ground-floor building was soon almost two meters under water. According to the authorities, at least 31 people died.
District Party Secretary Yu Weiguo explained that the area around the center had previously been considered safe. He admitted planning deficiencies and publicly apologized.
Experts criticize construction methods
The disaster was caused by exceptionally heavy rainfall in northern China. According to the Ministry of the Environment, the amount of precipitation in the region last year was 83% above the average for the years 1991 to 2020. In Miyun, it rained for five days without interruption, in some places almost as much as in an entire year. The river carried 1500 times more water than usual.
Experts criticize the fact that higher dams and concrete banks, which are supposed to provide protection, are exacerbating the situation because water can no longer seep away. "We need to make the ground permeable again," said Beijing professor Yu Kongjian. Environmental activist Ma Jun criticized the fact that warning systems and monitoring are still inaccurate.
