Model volunteer joins relief efforts in rain-ravaged N China

Zhang Kai, a veteran and retired policeman, led a motorcade he formed with volunteers to rush to flood-hit Shanxi on Saturday, and the team has engaged in disaster relief efforts in Lyuliang city in the province since Tuesday noon, according to reports by WeVideo, the video platform of Beijing News.

"Wherever there's a serious situation, I will go there," said Zhang, who was on his way back from Fujian province after assisting the anti-pandemic and disinfection work in Putian when authorities contacted him to head for Shanxi.

Vehicles in Zhang's motorcade carried assault boats, medicine and protective suits, which enable the volunteer team to join the rescue and post-disaster disinfection work immediately.

The precipitation in the province has reached 302.2 millimeters between Sept 1 and Oct 7, the largest in the same period since weather conditions began to be recorded, Wang Wenyi, deputy director of the Shanxi Meteorological Administration, said at a news conference held on Tuesday.

Rains and rain-induced disasters have affected more than 1.75 million people in 76 counties and around 120,100 people have been relocated to safer places.

This is not the first time Zhang Kai and his motorcade have headed for those areas most in need of help. With over accumulative 3,000 hours of volunteering, Zhang started his volunteer commitment a year ago.

Back in early 2020, Zhang, a native of Suifenhe, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, was operating a car rental company in Dongguan, South China's Guangdong province.

After the novel coronavirus outbreak, he formed a volunteer motorcade to provide support for frontline epidemic prevention and control workers in Dongguan in January last year.

After approval from the local authorities on Feb 18, Zhang and his team traveled over 1,100 kilometers to aid Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. The team was tasked with transporting medical workers, COVID-19 patients, and goods and materials.

From then on, Zhang and his team continuously provided pandemic prevention support to various cities, from his hometown of Suifenhe to Beijing to most recently Putian. They also drove to Henan in July to help with rescue work after the central province was hit by severe floods.

In order to save time, Zhang and other volunteers often had to sleep in their own cars, and be on standby twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to respond at a moment's notice.

Zhang became a well-known volunteer and earned praise across China, after his inspiring deeds were reported in the media. In September 2020, Zhang was named in the February to July "China good list".