Skip to Content Facebook Feature Image

Flood-affected villagers in Liaoning gear up for Spring Festival after moving into new homes

China

China

China

Flood-affected villagers in Liaoning gear up for Spring Festival after moving into new homes

2025-01-22 22:39 Last Updated At:01-23 17:47

Residents in a village which was badly hit by flooding in northeast China's Liaoning Province last summer have moved into newly-built homes in time for the winter, with Chinese President Xi Jinping paying a visit to the local community on Wednesday.

President Xi braved the cold to visit people in Zhujiagou Village, which falls under the administration of Suizhong County in Huludao City, an area devastated by flooding last August.

Xi inspected the site to learn about the reconstruction efforts which have taken place there, and also stopped by the homes of resettled villagers to check on their living conditions.

Xi's visit came just ahead of the Spring Festival, China's most important annual holiday which celebrates the Chinese New Year and falls on Jan 29 this year.

Families who have moved into the Zhujiagou New Village are now preparing to mark their first Chinese New Year in their new homes, busy hanging up traditional Spring Festival couplets and other festive decorations.

Huludao was hit by a natural disaster when torrential rains lashed the city on Aug 20 last year, triggering severe flooding. In Suizhong County, as many as 185,000 residents were heavily affected in 110 villages across 10 townships.

The low-lying Zhujiagou Village was among the hardest-hit areas, with roads destroyed, over 70 hectares of farmlands inundated, and more than 50 homes damaged -- 41 of which were deemed unsafe for repair.

The 186 villagers from the 41 affected households were collectively relocated to a new site on higher ground.

Afterward, work on the new settlement, named the Zhujiagou New Village, proceeded quickly to ensure residents could have a roof over their heads before the arrival of the cold winter in northeast China.

The construction project that began in early September was fully completed on Oct 20, 2024.

Flood-affected villagers in Liaoning gear up for Spring Festival after moving into new homes

Flood-affected villagers in Liaoning gear up for Spring Festival after moving into new homes

Flood-affected villagers in Liaoning gear up for Spring Festival after moving into new homes

Flood-affected villagers in Liaoning gear up for Spring Festival after moving into new homes

Flood-affected villagers in Liaoning gear up for Spring Festival after moving into new homes

Flood-affected villagers in Liaoning gear up for Spring Festival after moving into new homes

Next Article

Unusual seismic activity rocks Santorini, with tremors expected to continue: expert

2025-02-09 15:27 Last Updated At:15:37

Santorini Island, a popular tourist destination in Greece, has been experiencing unusual seismic activity in recent days, with experts warning that the region may experience continued seismic activity for an extended period.

Between 00:00 and 12:00 local time on Saturday, 11 earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.0 or higher were recorded near the island, with the strongest tremor reaching a magnitude of 4.9, according to data by Institute of Geodynamics of the Athens National Observatory.

This follows a series of earthquakes that began earlier in the week.

Dimitrios Papanikolaou, an Emeritus Professor of Geology and Geoenvironment at the University of Athens, who has held various positions including President of the Geological Society of Greece and Chair of the European Center for Earthquake Prediction and Prevention, explained in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that the earthquakes are caused by a submerged fault, rather than by volcanic activity from the nearby underwater Kolumbo volcano.

Papanikolaou elaborated that Santorini Island, located within the caldera of an ancient volcano, is situated in a seismically active area with several fault lines and the presence of the Kolumbo submarine volcano. As a result, the region has long been prone to earthquakes.

After the earthquake on Wednesday, which was the largest recorded at magnitude 5.2, seismic activity in the area has remained intense, with no clear primary tremor or aftershocks, making the situation particularly rare.

"What's happening is a rather unique case of geo-dynamic activity, not usual as we know it from all the history last century and this present century. At this moment we think that this activity of medium-size activity of earthquakes will continue for several weeks. And sometime, we cannot say exactly when, probably in the next couple of months, this will stop, will cease," he said.

Professor Papanikolaou urged both locals and tourists to remain calm, emphasizing that the island's infrastructure is well-equipped to handle seismic activity.

He reassured the public that even a magnitude six earthquake would not likely lead to widespread building collapses. However, he cautioned that secondary disasters, such as landslides or tsunamis, could pose risks and should be monitored closely.

Unusual seismic activity rocks Santorini, with tremors expected to continue: expert

Unusual seismic activity rocks Santorini, with tremors expected to continue: expert

Recommended Articles