Survivors’ tales: ‘The gales were like monsters ready to eat me’
Print Edition
SURVIVORS have been recalling their ordeals after severe storms battered several towns in Yancheng, a city in east China’s Jiangsu Province. A devastating tornado left 99 people dead and more than 800 others injured, 200 of them seriously.
More than 8,600 houses, two elementary schools and eight factory buildings were destroyed as gales of over 100 kilometers an hour battered several townships in Funing and Sheyang counties.
Wang Bing feels lucky to be alive. When disaster struck at 2:30pm last Thursday, the 62-year-old was having a nap with his wife and grandson in their four-bedroom house in Funing’s Chenliang Township.
“It suddenly became pitch dark and hail rained down on the roof like pebbles,” he said.
Before they could flee the house, tiles had begun falling from the roof. “We found shelter in a corner of our bedroom, between the wall and a wardrobe.”
Wang’s wife held their grandson in her arms, and Wang stood hunched over them to protect them from falling tiles and bricks. Blood streamed from his head and he was prepared for the worst.
“But the worst was over after about 20 minutes,” he said.
When the storm trailed off, he looked around and realized the whole house had toppled, except for the wall behind them. “God must have known that here were three lives to spare,” he said.
The disaster left its mark, not only on Wang’s head and back, but on his grandson’s mind. “Our house is falling down,” the 4-year-old still cries in his sleep.
Their next-door neighbors, a 25-year-old woman and a toddler, died in the ruins of their toppled home. The woman was pregnant with her second child.
Yan Lifa, 62, was riding his motorbike when the storms struck. “Strong gales sent me off the bike,” he said. “Fortunately, I had my helmet on.”
Yan was thrown onto the road and his bike ended up in a ditch. “I never had such terrible experience in my life,” he said. The gales were like monsters ready to eat me alive.”
Too scared to move, Yan lay still on his stomach until the winds died down. When he walked home, he found the second floor of his house was gone. “Luckily, no one was inside. My wife was working in the fields and our grandchildren were all at school.”
Xie Sufang, 67, was pulled out of the rubble of her house suffering from spinal injuries. Her husband, who had been struck on the head, died before rescuers found him.
“I have no family or home here,” said Xie, who is being treated at Funing County Hospital. “I might move to my son’s place in Shanghai.”
Jiqiao Village Nursery in Chenliang Township was a mess of broken desks and chairs after a hailstorm struck.
When it began, teachers told the children to crouch under their desks. The headmistress, 63-year-old Guo Haimei, leaned against the door to prevent it from being blown away.
Thanks to teachers’ efforts, of the 120 children who were at school, only seven were injured, mostly from broken glass. “We did our best,” Guo said.
At least 450 people are being treated at Funing County Hospital for their injuries, said Zuo Xuebiao, the hospital’s vice president.
Most had suffered fractures or head wounds, and medical workers were working round the clock to speed their recovery, he said.
Many of their fellow citizens had offered help by donating blood or delivering food and water.
Anxious to find her mother in one of the worst-hit townships in Funing, Qi Longying had posted a message on her Wechat account on the night of the storm. In about 10 minutes, a friend reached her with news about her mother, who had been taken to hospital for treatment to her injuries.
“A police officer who sent her to hospital shared a photo of my mom, and my friend happened to spot that photo,” said Qi. “At times like this, we feel like members of a big family.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
