An outpouring of goodwill

The continuous heavy rainfall that hit Central China's Henan province this week not only made history, but caused severe and deadly flooding. Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, was at the epicenter of the rainstorm. Many hospitals in the city were severely affected by flood water and power outages leading to trapped patients and doctors requiring urgent rescue, safe transfer, medical treatment and nursing care.

The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University was among the most severely affected due to its location on lower terrain. On the evening of July 20, all power was cut off, and dozens of operations were interrupted. More than 600 patients in the ICU lost equipment support, and a large number of patients in general wards were left desperate for oxygen. Nearly 3,000 medical staff stuck to their posts and increased their ward visits to soothe patients' anxiety.

Under the coordination of the Health Commission of Henan Province and other related parties, ambulances, buses and even private cars from various cities and other hospitals joined the transfer effort. Patients and their family members at the hospital waited patiently, in accordance with the instructions of the security personnel, for the transfer to other hospitals. At about 8:30 am on July 22, the hospital was completely emptied and 11,350 patients were safely transferred.

Outside, the State Grid sent two emergency support vehicles and a tanker truck to ensure the return of the power supply. Engineering and technical personnel of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau arrived at 4 am on July 21 to carry out 24 hours of uninterrupted drainage.

On July 21, patients at the Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital in Zhengzhou's Zhongmu county were besieged by floods. However, due to the complex conditions, most of the rescue teams could not reach the hospital.

The next day, in the early afternoon and under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, a Wing Loong Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, equipped with China Mobile's wireless communication base station, took off from Anshun Huangguoshu Airport in Guizhou province en route to the hospital to provide network protection for the rescue work. With these combined efforts, a safe channel was finally opened, and 1,075 patients were successfully transferred by helicopter and kayak.

In response to the disaster, the Ministry of Emergency Management enacted a cross-regional reinforcement plan for fire rescue teams, dispatching 1,800 professional fire rescue and water rescue teams from Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong and Hubei provinces overnight to aid with the flood prevention and disaster relief work.

As of Thursday, the Central Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army had sent 8,360 troops to flood-hit areas in Henan. The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee has allocated 20 million yuan ($3.1 million) to the province for flood control and disaster relief.

People who didn't know each other became connected during the crisis. Without exception, they all had a common wish:"I hope everyone is OK." In one of the many touching moments captured on video, a couple of soaked people shouted "hold tight" while pulling on a long rope, helping a woman escape from a turbulent flow. In another video, shopping mall staff and members of the public were also up to their waists in water, shouting encouraging chants as they worked together to rescue people who were trapped in the raging torrent. The Zhengzhou Library posted a message to remind people that were stuck nearby not to risk going home, but to instead avail themselves of the library, which provided wireless internet, hot water, light meals and rest areas. Similar posts, also by volunteers offering aid, appeared nearly 50,000 times within several hours.

One firefighter, Wang Haoming, posted a message on Weibo with an offer of help. After receiving numerous messages, he traveled in the rain many times to those trapped at a nearby subway station, bringing food and water for everyone. On July 22, a team of volunteers from Nanyang city shuttled through the disaster-stricken community. In six cars, the 37 teammates paid for and distributed supplies to those in need.

Cohesion, conscience, gratitude－with Henan in trouble, assistance came from all corners of China. Zhengzhou in the torrential rain pulled at the heartstrings of people all across the country and, as the floods there start to recede, we wish the stoic people of Henan a smooth and swift return to normal life.