Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 329 - 233 Flood and Waterlogging Prevention

The typhoon center is still some distance away from Linghai, but the typhoon has already brought strong storms and heavy rain to Linghai, which can be described as a convergence of "wind, storm, tide, and flood," causing the water level of the Yangtze River to visibly rise at an alarming rate.

The collision markers on both sides of the Dunship are fitted with water level gauges, which, although not as precise as those from the Ministry of Water Resources, can still serve as a reference.

The command and dispatch room has been requisitioned by the city’s typhoon and flood control command center, leaving Han Yu to rely solely on the very high frequency radio on 001 for external communication. As more and more officials from various units arrived on the Dunship to receive their assignments in the rain, Han Yu simply moved to 001 to stand by.

With the help of the searchlight on 001, it was clear to see that the highest tide level in the Bailong Port Waters had reached 5.2 meters, while the warning water level was 5.6 meters.

The latest weather forecast warns of strong wind and rain weather from tonight to the day after tomorrow, with showers or thunderstorms, heavy to torrential rain, and cumulative rainfall reaching 100 to 250 millimeters, with the maximum gust on land and along the Yanjiang River surface at level 9 to 11, and in the sea area at level 11 to 13.

The rain was pouring outside, and the several water gates along the river were constantly discharging water into the river, meaning that in just a few hours, the entire Yangtze North Branch would surpass the warning water level!

This means that Linghai must prevent flooding internally and guard against river floods externally. No wonder officials from various units came in one after another to report, even police from the Police Bureau’s communication division came with radios and over a dozen walkie-talkies.

Han Yu, not knowing what the city leaders were doing in the command and dispatch room and unable to sleep, picked up the walkie-talkie again to call Bailong Port lock.

"Master control, master control, this is Han Yu, how high has the water level in the inland rivers risen?"

"With the rain continuing for several hours, water from the fields is drained into ditches, from ditches to small rivers, and from small rivers to big rivers. Several major gates along the river and at the sea cannot cope with the discharge, so the water level is rising fast. Bailong Port has already risen to 2.35 meters, and the Linghai Section of the Bin Qi River has risen to 3.43 meters."

The warning water level of Bailong River is 2.6 meters, while that of Bin Qi River is 4.0 meters.

The inland water network is different from the Yangtze North Branch; the discharge into the Yangtze and the sea is very slow, but the discharge from the banks into the inland river is very fast, so one can imagine that the water level will surpass the warning level before the Yangtze does.

Han Yu realized how serious the flood situation was and was at a loss for words when Commissioner Ding came through the "antique" and climbed up to 001. freёnovelkiss.com

He ran over without an umbrella or a raincoat, braving the rain.

Han Yu hurriedly opened the cabin door and asked anxiously, "Commissioner, what’s the matter?"

"I just received notice from the superiors that the water levels of the Yangtze and the inland rivers will surge tonight. This afternoon’s comprehensive inspection found many problems, and Mayor Dai has requested that 001 immediately enter the inland river to assist the Transportation Bureau, Water Resources Bureau, and towns along the river in clearing obstructions such as dykes, net cages, miscellaneous boats, and various illegal constructions that hinder flood flow."

"If 001 enters the inland river, what about any dangers on the river?"

"There are priorities; first, follow the anti-flood command’s orders."

Commissioner Ding turned to look at the officials from various units boarding the ship and pulled out a list from his pocket: "There are a total of six dyke heads and embankments at places such as Song Ji River and Niankuang River; fourteen miscellaneous boats in waterways such as Bailong River, Huang Family Port, and San Yu Shu River, and even more net cages in the riverways."

Han Yu took the task list, his brow furrowed as he asked, "We can dig through the dyke heads and embankments, but where do we tow the miscellaneous boats?"

"You are just assisting; for where exactly to tow them without affecting flood flow, ask the officials from the Transportation Bureau."

"There are fish in the net cages; clearing the net cages would release the fish, right? The fish farmers definitely wouldn’t be happy."

"At a time like this, it’d be best if the fish farmers could consider the overall situation. If they don’t, assist the departments of transportation, water resources, and agriculture in compulsory clearance."

"Yes!"

isn’t 002; there aren’t so many seats for people.

The officials who had just boarded saw the command cabin’s door closed, and not wanting to be drenched outside, they all crowded into the engine room.

Commissioner Ding opened the door, took a glance, and instructed: "The river embankments need to be reinforced and even raised. The City Flood Control Command is urgently amassing woven bags, block stones, geotextiles, and timber, which together may weigh hundreds of thousands of tons. Officials and the public on the river embankment are waiting for the flood control materials. The shipping company has barges but no tugs; it’s too dangerous to let jack-up boats transport flood control materials into the Yangtze during the typhoon season. Once those materials are loaded onto the barges, you need to help pull the barges over from several docks in Linghai."

Both entering the inland river to assist in clearing obstacles in the waterway to ensure flood passage and helping to transport flood control materials...

Han Yu did not dare to delay, hurriedly contacting the lock master control to arrange passage, then climbed up to the second-level pilothouse, sounded the steam whistle, and set sail.

After several hours of torrential rain, the roads ashore, especially the country lanes leading to secluded rivers, were muddy and impassable, and many officials and the public who had been temporarily summoned to dig through the dyke heads and embankments couldn’t cross, all boarding the vessel along Bailong River as per the Flood Control Command’s request.

The bow, stern, sides of 001, and even the sides of the second-level pilothouse were packed with people.

Although most were wearing raincoats, the rain was too heavy, and everyone was thoroughly drenched.

Following the requirements of the leading official from the Transportation Bureau, Han Yu transported the personnel involved in flood control to their designated locations, then assisted the officials in clearing net cages in the riverways, blockings at sluice gates or river mouths, and towing miscellaneous boats that had long drifted in the flood channels...

Before one task was completed, another call came for towing flood control materials.

From 8 o’clock in the evening until 3:30 in the afternoon the next day, he was busy until the last six barges of block stone were delivered to the river’s edge, waiting for the Water Resources Bureau and town officials to organize the public to board and haul the over six hundred tons of flood control materials ashore, after which he exhaustedly returned to port.

Upon reaching Bailong Port and preparing to dock on the "antique," Han Yu learned from Port Supervision and Traffic Control Center that 001 had completed the tasks assigned by Linghai’s typhoon and flood control command center. Then on the Traffic Control channel, a question came asking if they could rescue a cargo ship whose anchor was blown away by the typhoon during the night.

There were four crew members on board, and water had seeped into the engine room; the ship had lost control.

Human life was of the utmost importance!

Han Yu had to muster his energy, adjust the course, and head for the rescue.

When they found the out-of-control cargo ship, due to severe water ingress, it was about to sink.

Towing it to the shallows was not only difficult but also dangerous, as after all, 001 only had two hundred horsepower, and one wrong move could drag 001 to the riverbed as well.

But the cargo ship was in the main waterway; if they only saved the people and let the ship sink, it would affect navigation safety.

Han Yu swiftly decided to dismantle the fire pump and use 001’s firefighting equipment to help the cargo ship with water drainage while urgently requesting the Traffic Control Center to summon nearby barges to help with unloading.

The rescue operation lasted until 8:17 in the evening, and the cargo ship, which had almost become a "submarine," finally showed its hull above the waterline...

Not only were four lives saved, but a ship fully laden with cargo was also rescued.

The shipowner and his family were endlessly grateful, and by the time Han Yu woke up, Yanjiang Police Station had received another banner of honor. Old Zhang, who had just seen off the shipowner’s family, was outside discussing with Jin Weiguo where to hang it.

Han Yu got up and walked out of the dormitory, yawning and asking, "Director Zhang, no more room to hang it?"

"We’re short on money, short on people, short on everything except for banners. The command and dispatch center, the meeting room, and both on-duty rooms are all full, even Command Boat 001 has four banners hanging in it, so there’s really no space left."

"Hang it in your dormitory then."

"My dormitory already has three banners; too many don’t make it feel like a dormitory, can’t even sleep at night."

During the years stationed along the Yangtze River, the Yanjiang Police Station had taken part in countless rescue operations. Together with the banners received six years earlier for cracking down on ticket scalping, they now had no less than a hundred banners.

Han Yu glanced at the water level gauge on the collision pylon, then looked up at the drizzling sky and laughed, "If we really can’t hang all of them, we could send some to the Bureau. We don’t care for them, but the Bureau does."

"They were given to us by others; sending them to the Bureau doesn’t seem right, especially since the banners are addressed to us specifically."

The young man had worked hard; Old Zhang didn’t want to talk about the banners anymore. He pulled Han Yu into the duty room and asked with a smile, "Hungry?"

"A bit."

"Old Qian left some food for you, it’s warming in the rice cooker."

"Where’s Captain Wang?"

"Captain Wang was feeling a bit dizzy, and I had Xiao Yu take him to the health clinic."

"Dizzy?"

"He has high blood pressure."

Han Yu thought for a moment and then asked, "What about Uncle Zhu?"

Before Old Zhang could speak, Jin Weiguo said with a bitter smile, "His home is low-lying; their whole area got flooded. He went back early this morning."

Every year during the floods, the low-lying areas get inundated.

Han Yu didn’t know what to say, then Old Zhang looked at his wristwatch and said, "If you’re not too hungry, wait a bit before eating. Huang Jiangsheng is back; he and Zhang Erxiao knew you were here too. They came by once in the morning and again at noon to invite you and Xiao Yu over for a meal."

"What meal? Do they need something?"

"You’re old friends; can’t you have a meal together without a reason? Besides, just like you, Huang Jiangsheng rarely gets the chance to come back. If you’re both here, of course, it’s an opportunity to catch up."

"All right." Han Yu hadn’t seen Huang Jiangsheng for a long time and wanted to catch up with him.

Old Zhang smiled and continued, "There’s progress on the case of the stolen transformers. Chief Ding called this morning and said not only our area had five stolen, but Changzhou and the development zone also had six taken. He and Fang Zhiqiang figured out the suspects’ trajectory by examining several drainage outlets.

And now they’ve split into three groups: one is checking scrap collection points and transformer manufacturing enterprises, another is visiting and inquiring with people living near the drainage outlets, and the last group is following the suspects’ trail, especially those watching fishing nets by the locks."

This was a big deal!

Han Yu instinctively asked, "Any findings?"

"Yes, first, the approximate time of the transformer theft is determined. It must have been mid-June this year because during the Spring Flood, the transformers were still there. Plus, an old man watching the fishing nets saw a boat with two old transformers passing through the lock. He was the one who helped lift the blockade net."

"Does the old man watching the nets remember how many people were on the boat, what they looked like?"

"He vaguely recalls three or four people on the boat; can’t remember their faces, but they were definitely locals because they spoke Shadi Language when they asked him to lift the net."

"They must be locals; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to find such a remote drainage outlet."

"So Chief Ding and Fang Zhiqiang have further narrowed down the search area."

"Any lead on those crooks?"

"There are several leads that need to be further confirmed."

"Which ones?"

"One lead points to a worker who used to work at the Linghai High Voltage Electrical Factory and started his transformer factory four years ago. Calling it a factory is an overstatement; it’s more like a home workshop. The transformers he produced were substandard; some even caused fires. The Linghai Power Supply Bureau doesn’t allow his transformers to be connected to the grid.

Last year, he was sued by two customers and was heading towards bankruptcy. But this year, his shabby factory made a surprising comeback, selling more than a dozen transformers to central and western provinces, and apparently, the quality issues have ceased."

Old Zhang paused for a moment, then added, "Another lead involves two temporary workers who worked for an electric power installation company. They disliked the hard work of climbing poles and laying wires outside, not working diligently, and loafing around in town all day.

Last year, they were so poor they couldn’t even afford cigarettes, owing debts to friends left and right. Suddenly this year, they’re flush with cash, either dining out or visiting dance halls."

Han Yu thought for a moment and followed up with, "Do either of them know the owner of the transformer factory?"

"They do."

"Among the three of them, can anyone handle a boat?"

"None of them can, and they don’t own a boat, but they have a friend who can handle a boat and does own one."

Old Zhang glanced at his watch again and added with a smile, "This is what Chief Ding told me on the call this morning; the Bureau is pushing for a breakthrough in the case. They’re planning to bring these people in for questioning this afternoon. Whether it’s actually them should be clear soon enough."

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