The People Who Stayed Behind During the Flood | iFeng News
Liu Bowen—iFeng News
Since June, provinces along the Yangtze River have been battered by the worst floods in the country in decades. Precipitation in the middle and lower Yangtze regions has been the highest since 1961. By July 28, the floods had left more than 150 dead or missing and 3.7 million people displaced. More than 41,000 houses were destroyed across the country. In Youdunjie township in Jiangxi province, where the floods’ impact has been especially severe, most residents evacuated. Photographer and journalist Liu Bowen stayed and documented the experiences of the fewer than 50 residents who remained behind. Despite lacking water, food, and electricity, these residents stayed to defend their homes and businesses. Memories of an earlier disaster are still painfully vivid: Many Youdunjie residents lost family members and homes in the record floods of 1998, which killed more than 3,000 and affected one-fifth of China’s population.
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Since June, provinces along the Yangtze River have been battered by the worst floods in the country in decades. Precipitation in the middle and lower Yangtze regions has been the highest since 1961. By July 28, the floods had left more than 150 dead or missing and 3.7 million people displaced. More than 41,000 houses were destroyed across the country. In Youdunjie township in Jiangxi province, where the floods’ impact has been especially severe, most residents evacuated. Photographer and journalist Liu Bowen stayed and documented the experiences of the fewer than 50 residents who remained behind. Despite lacking water, food, and electricity, these residents stayed to defend their homes and businesses. Memories of an earlier disaster are still painfully vivid: Many Youdunjie residents lost family members and homes in the record floods of 1998, which killed more than 3,000 and affected one-fifth of China’s population.