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July 11 - More than 150,000 people in southwest China survived an early morning flood thanks to timely government warnings delivered by mobile phone text messages, loudspeakers and door-to-door visits.
"The flood was so sudden I would have drowned if I had not received the messages," said Zhang Xue'an, a resident of Qujiang in Quxian in Sichuan Province. He began to receive messages on his mobile phone on July 3, and was told by local flood control authorities that a flood was only a few days away. He bought biscuits and bottled water, which proved very useful when his home was flooded three days later and water and gas supplies were cut off. About half of the 150,000-strong residents in Qujiang have mobile phones, which means text messages are a very rapid means of spreading flood information. Wang Chenggao, owner of a stationery1 shop, moved his belongings2 to the top floor of his house after receiving messages, managing to preserve the family assets including the stock of stationery. The worst flood on record hit Qujiang at 3 a.m. on July 7, submerging two thirds of the town's streets and flooding the first floor of many houses. To warn families with no mobile phones, authorities put flood information on the local television channel and used loudspeakers in the countryside. Sirens resounded3 in the county seat to alert residents. Zhang Kaifu and his family managed to avoid the landslide4 that engulfed5 three rooms of his house on Thursday evening in Sanhui Town. Zheng knew from listening to loudspeakers that there was a high risk of a landslide and had time to evacuate6 items from the house. In remote areas where radios and telephones are not used, grassroots officials went to inform residents on foot. Gao Mingwen, party chief of Qujiang Town, detected a possible landslide during an inspection7 late on Thursday night. He went door to door to inform the families threatened by the possible landslide and helped 31 people evacuate, preventing an accident that could have cost many lives. "After warnings were spread by texts messages and loudspeakers, we were ordered to visit every family personally and ensure that none was threatened by a flood or a landslide," said Sun Xiaoyan, party chief of Sanhui Town. Tianxing Town ordered every official to take care of a family that might be affected8. Li Jinsong, headmaster of the local primary school, risked floodwater reaching his waist to visit his designated family. "I had to make sure they were safe, or I would have been punished," Li said. Quxian county suffered from floods in 2004 and 2005. The experience taught local authorities that it was critical to inform people in flood-prone areas in time. "The earlier (people are informed) the better! They know how to protect themselves," said Yang Xuechun, head of Quxian flood control office. About 115,000 people have been evacuated9 in Quxian this year because of floods and 38,000 others rescued by boat.
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