All gone: Beijing villagers left with nothing after deadly floods
Severe Floods Ravage Northern China, Claim Lives and Displace Communities
For the past week, relentless rains have unleashed catastrophic floods across vast swaths of northern China. These inundations have tragically claimed at least 48 lives, forced the evacuation of tens of thousands, and inflicted widespread destruction on rural villages close to Beijing’s capital.
Impact on the Huairou District
- In the Huairou district—located less than 100 kilometres from downtown Beijing—frequent demolitions of power lines, crushed fences and wrecked cars have left residents stranded.
- Sprawling mud and silt, indicating flood waters that reached over one metre high, have choked the village of Anzhouba, where local resident Hu Yuefang struggled to reclaim medicine for her disabled father only to find all his supplies swept away.
- Hu, a stay-at-home caregiver who works alongside her husband at a labour‑er job, described how the flood devastated their vegetable fields—green beans, cucumbers and potatoes—rendering their modest, 2,000 to 3,000 yuan (about $278 to $418) monthly income unlivable.
Liulimiao Town and Elderly Vulnerability
- Across Liulimiao town, the AFP crew observed continuous evacuations of elderly villagers aboard buses from mountainous homes.
- One unnamed elder, who declined to give her name, announced her persistent return to the village despite authorities “not allowing” her home, adding that nobody had paid attention when the water struck “suddenly” on Saturday.
- Another villager, Wang, surveyed the damage to a government‑subsidised home he built 15 years ago. Wang estimated losses at around 100,000 yuan (roughly $14,000). He reported that the sudden rise of 1.5 metres of water prevented his wife and two daughters from opening their doors, leaving their home “unlivable.”
- Wang lamented that the flood left a mounted TV and a washed‑up car—a vehicle bought to let his daughter practice driving—uphill from their now‑uninhabitable residence. He added that further flooding might have put his family’s life in danger, noting that people had “not been given a chance.”
Human Stories Amid the Chaos
These raw statistics stand under the weight of compelling human stories—elderly women and men, caregivers, and families grappling with the relentless forces of nature. In the wake of the flood, Chinese authorities have responded by evacuating thousands, but for the villagers counting on modest incomes and crop yields, the current reality is one of loss, displacement and persistent uncertainty.
