The raging flood mixed with broken branches and stones rushed down from afar, continuously rushing into the already turbulent lake. The rumbling sound angrily slapped the shore, the waves surged, the mountains collapsed, the earth cracked, the mountains were overwhelming, and the waves were raging!
Qiu Hengde stood at the front of the crowd, and next to him stood Yang Fan, secretary of the Huanhai County Party Committee.
Qiu Hengde showed an anxious look on his face and asked, "Have the breaches been sealed?"
Yang Fan nodded and said solemnly: "It's all blocked, but the situation in Xinyuan Township is complicated. Xinyuan Township is located in the northwest of Huanhai Lake. If the rainfall continues to increase, I'm afraid there will be danger tomorrow. People have been evacuated now, but many villagers are unwilling to leave..."
Xinyuan Township is a key flood prevention area every year. If a serious flood occurs, the first thing to be abandoned is that area in order to preserve the overall situation. Local government staff have already started evacuating people there. However, how can the villagers be willing to leave the home where they have lived all their lives
Qiu Hengde looked at the surging lake and said in a deep voice, "Let's go to Xinyuan Township and work with the villagers first. Convince each household one by one. If that doesn't work, then notify the army and force them to evacuate. Life is more important than home! As long as you're alive, you still have a chance to make a comeback."
Yang Fan nodded, and immediately gave instructions to the county party committee secretary behind him.
After driving for five or six kilometers, the rural road ahead was completely destroyed. At a command from Deputy Minister Qiu, everyone waded through the water on foot into Xinyuan Township.
Half an hour later, we finally arrived at the dam in Xinyuan Township. Many people were carrying sandbags, driving wooden stakes, and reinforcing the dam.
Liang Dahai, Party Secretary of Xinyuan Township, reported on the work: "We are now taking two steps. On the one hand, we continue to consolidate the embankment and have mobilized all the young and strong laborers in the township; on the other hand, we are doing our best to persuade people. Zengba and Longhe villages are in the first-level danger zone and are working to carry out emergency evacuation."
Qiu Hengde nodded and walked along the embankment. He heard some noise not far away.
"What's going on?" Qiu Hengde asked with a frown.
Liang Dahai was not sure either, and guessed: "Maybe the villagers didn't want to evacuate, so they went to the embankment to make trouble."
It was already dark. When I got closer, I could see clearly that a dozen elderly villagers were crying and refusing to evacuate.
Qiu Hengde sighed and walked over quickly.
Yang Fan followed closely behind Qiu Hengde and introduced, "Fellow villagers, I am Yang Fan, the county party secretary. Next to me is Minister Yang, the leader of the municipal party committee. He is here to visit you on behalf of the municipal party committee. Don't be impatient. If you have anything to say, please talk to him nicely!"
Qiu Hengde spoke in a loud and penetrating voice, "Fellow villagers, I know you don't want to leave, but this is a natural disaster. We are letting you take shelter now to protect your lives. When the flood is over, the government guarantees that it will support you in rebuilding your homes!"
"The house is our life. Without the house, I will lose my life!" One of the old men said in pain, beating his chest and stamping his feet.
The scene was complicated and chaotic. There were at least thirty or forty people, all talking at once. The situation was getting more and more serious. It would continue to shake the morale of the troops and affect the progress of the dam reinforcement project.
Qiu Hengde made a prompt decision, left the team, and took the initiative to walk among the villagers. He bent down and helped the old man who was sitting on the ground. At this moment, a bad feeling swept through his brain, and his hair stood up as if it was about to explode. Then a great force came from his waist, pushing him hard.
Qiu Hengde staggered and rolled twice on the ground. When he was about to stand up, his feet slipped and he slid down the slope of the embankment.
"Oh no! Minister Qiu fell into the lake!"
There was a storm and the water was roaring.
Huanhai Lake lost its usual gentleness and showed its fangs. The dark tide under the water, like a demon beast, swallowed Qiu Hengde in one gulp. In a few seconds, he was swept away and was about ten meters away from the shore.
Qiu Hengde can swim, but just after he flapped his arms twice, he felt an intense pain in his legs and actually got cramps!
The clothes on his body became heavier and heavier, like a spider web, wrapping him tighter and tighter. Qiu Hengde wanted to breathe, but the turbid lake water kept pouring into his mouth, choking him and almost making him faint.
Will he die? Qiu Hengde was terrified. Who could be fearless in the face of death
"Hurry up and save them!"
Yang Fan was shouting anxiously on the embankment, but no one around him spoke or took any action. The water was so high, who would dare to jump in? Wouldn't that be courting death
"I'll go down, you guys quickly notify the fishing team!" Fang Zhicheng stood up and began to take off his clothes. He didn't know why a fire was burning in his chest.
"Yes! Quickly notify the fishing team!" After Fang Zhicheng's reminder, someone below quickly took out his cell phone to make a call.
Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Qiu Hengde was swept away by the waves and was getting farther and farther away. Under the dim light, only his struggling figure could be seen in the water.
"Plop..."
Fang Zhicheng jumped into the water. The cold chill made his scalp numb. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then followed the flow of the water and slowly waded away.
The biggest reason why Fang Zhicheng dared to jump into the water was probably that he had participated in the school swimming team when he was in college and had won good places in the college league.
However, after swimming three or five meters, he regretted it.
The undercurrent is surging, and human power is too small. If we try to compete with the waves, we will be swallowed up directly.
Fang Zhicheng gritted his teeth, waved his hands vigorously, and rushed forward. Reality left him with no way out. Since he had jumped into the water in a fit of rage, he had no choice but to burn his boats and move forward courageously!
Qiu Hengde's body had already sunk. In another ten seconds or so, it would be even more difficult to find his position.
Fang Zhicheng took a deep breath and dived into the water. The waves on the lake were strong, but the current was slightly smaller under the lake. He kept his mind clear and followed the direction he remembered.
The water is very turbid, the clarity is not high, and the difficulty is not small.
Another minute passed, and he secretly felt lucky as he finally saw Qiu Hengde. He was so excited that his sore and swollen calves gained more strength and he moved towards the figure.
Fate was kind to Qiu Hengde. If Fang Zhicheng hadn't found him a second later, Qiu Hengde would have lost consciousness and been washed away by the huge waves.
Fang Zhicheng approached Qiu Hengde and was almost exhausted. He changed into a backstroke posture, put one arm around Qiu Hengde's waist and the other hand supported his chin, and floated up from the bottom of the water. The people on the shore were extremely excited and there were sounds of surprise in the crowd.
However, the danger was not completely eliminated. Fang Zhicheng was a good swimmer and it would be easy for him to save a person under normal circumstances. But now he was alone and helpless in the raging lake waves.