| Combating 1998¡¯s floods and the rescue operations |
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| Soldiers Combating the Floods of 1998 |
| In the summer of 1998 the precipitation in Jilin Province was 21% more than normal. The rainfall of Baicheng Prefecture was 71% more than normal, the most in its recorded history. In the period between June and August, the rivers in the west of the province swelled with floodwaters. The Nenjiang and Songhuajiang Rivers crested three times. The flow was the greatest in 400 years. The Taoerhe River crested eight times while the Huolinhe River six and the West Liaohe River five times. The three cities of Baicheng, Songyuan, and Siping and the areas around them in the midwest of the province had 7,004 square kilometers flooded, effecting 1.89 million people and resulting in a loss of 14.5 billion yuan. On August 11, 1998 a guidance committee for combating the floods was appointed by the government and the provincial committee of the CPC. The heads of the flood-stricken cities and counties worked in the field with their headquarters in boats, or on the bank. All of the vital embankments were reinforced with emergency volunteer teams, while other teams patrolled the riverbanks. People were entrusted with specified stretches of the embankments to safely secure. 380 million yuan worth of materials were used in combating the floods and over 800,000 flood-stricken people were moved out of dangerous areas. More than 500,000 government officials and citizens were dispatched to the flood-stricken areas. The armed forces, militia, and the police sent 33,000 people who fought along side the civilians against the floodwaters for 50 days and nights. None of the embankments of the Nenjiang River and Sonhuajiang River were breached. Not a single county seat or major urban area was flooded. There was not a single death. A great victory was won in combating the floods of 1998. | |
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