Yu Zuen, a paddle board enthusiast in central China's Pingjiang County, has impressed many with his selflessness and bravery after rescuing over 50 residents stuck in raging floodwaters.
The Pingjiang County of Hunan Province was hit by torrential rains earlier this month, triggering flash floods that inundated large swathes of the downtown area. The water levels in some flooded road sections were as deep as three meters.
Yu, an emergency worker at Hanchang Subdistrict Office, was dispatched to evacuate residents with his colleagues. As the situation became critical, he thought of the paddle board at home.
"We usually use this paddle board to save people from drowning. I didn't expect that it would be so helpful in a major disaster," Yu told China Central Television (CCTV).
The flood-hit area has many winding and narrow alleys, making it hard for ordinary rubber boats to enter. After fetching the paddle board, Yu first arrived at an old residential compound where the exit of the first-floor corridor was submerged. As the water level rose, residents had no choice but to go upstairs floor by floor and wait for rescue. The incessant heavy rain had sparked panic among people.
"I had been trapped for a day and a night. I didn't know the water was so deep. He paddled over after learning of my situation and managed to open the window. He held the paddle board steady with one hand and carried me down with the other hand and placed me at the front of the paddle board," said Yu Chonggao, a resident.
As the water was deeper than expected, the rescuer had to swim with the paddle board to transfer stranded residents.
"When jumping into the water, I planned to step on the ground and pulled it (the paddle board) along. But I couldn't reach the bottom even standing on tiptoes. Then I had to swim while pulling the paddle board to evacuate the residents," said Yu Zuen.
With so many people waiting to be rescued, Yu sent a message asking for help at the Wechat group composed of paddle board lovers like him and received positive responses from 12 persons.
The rescuers rushed to the worst-hit areas with their paddle boards. But they quickly found that saving people from floodwater via paddle boards was not as easy as their regular training sessions.
"Some sharp objects in the corridor could easily scratch our paddle boards. I remember that three paddle boards were deflated. Our team members had to overcome the difficulties, inflate them again and continue with the rescue operation," said Wu Canbin, coach of the Pingjiang Paddle Boarder Team.
Around 1,200 people had been evacuated by the peddle boarders between July 1 to 2. As the rain stopped and floodwater receded, the rescuers shifted their focus from relocating people to transporting supplies.
Among them, 42-year-old Yu Zuen, who had served in the army from 2001 to 2013 and became a community worker after retirement, delivered an outstanding performance by saving more than 50 trapped residents and transporting supplies for over 60 trips.
After the rescue operation, Yu also took the initiative to join in post-flood clear-up and recovery. He has been wearing a knee brace during work. He had a ligament reconstruction surgery on his left knee last year and is still in the stage of recovery. But he has never been absent from flood prevention, rescue, relief and restoration efforts.
"I can swim. I am quite strong. And I am a paddle board enthusiast. That means I'm qualified for the rescue operation. In addition, as an ex-serviceman, I still feel an obligation to serve the people," said Yu.
Amateur paddle-boarder becomes local hero after saving dozens trapped in floodwater
