Trucks used to plug dike breach after heavy rain
Print Edition
A driver steered his truck to a breached dike, jumped out and then watched as the vehicle sank into the water.
Liu Sheng, 27, was one of a dozen truck owners who volunteered to help close a breached dike in central China’s Hunan Province.
The breach in the Xinhua flood detention basin in Huarong County happened on Sunday and more than 20,000 residents had to be evacuated.
Liu, a member of a WeChat group of truck drivers in the county, read about colleagues wanting to help and decided to join the efforts.
When he arrived at the site, he was told that he would have to use both rocks and his truck to help plug the 47-meter gap.
“Rocks are too small and can be easily washed away by the flood,” he said. “So they told me that filling the gap with big vehicles could help stop it from widening further.”
Although the father of two wasn’t prepared to lose his truck when he decided to volunteer, he soon agreed.
He stepped on the gas then abandoned the truck when it was about 2 meters from the gap.
The strategy worked. The drivers, along with 2,000 other workers, including soldiers and police officers, fixed the gap as of 8:15am yesterday.
Liu admitted he was sad about his truck, which he had just bought late last year.
Another driver, Liu Kang, said: “I bought my truck for about 300,000 yuan (US$44,866) and didn’t want to lose it.” Seeing its lights turn dim as it slipped into the water, he struggled to hold back his tears.
The drivers will be compensated. Their trucks were registered and photographs taken. But life will be different without their vehicles.
“I will work with others for disaster relief first,” said Liu Sheng, while Liu Kang plans to help his parents with farming.
Cheng Jixian, a third driver, had a wish: “If only I could retrieve the logo from my truck.”
Hunan is on high alert for flooding as precipitation in some areas hit record highs over the weekend.
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