Recent days, Hunan Province’s Shimen County has been hit by a severe rainstorm disaster, with Jinjiahe Village in the mountainous area becoming one of the most severely affected villages. Houses and farmland were destroyed by the heavy rain and flash floods, roads were cut off, communication was paralyzed, and the entire village was temporarily cut off from the outside world. “Jinjiahe Village is almost non-existent.”
Since 7 a.m. on May 17th, Shimen County in Changde City, Hunan Province has been experiencing heavy rainfall. Many areas have suffered from disasters such as flash floods, landslides, and road closures. Shimen County is located in the mountainous area of northwest Xiangxi, with dense river valleys and complex terrain. The continuous heavy rain caused flash floods to erupt rapidly in a short period of time, isolating Jinjiahe Village from the outside world, turning it into an “island”.
The village accountant of Jinjiahe Village mentioned in an interview with Xiaoxiang Morning News that on the early morning of May 18th, the power went out and the internet was disconnected in the area.
As of now, there are still villagers who remain unaccounted for.
On May 24th, Pengpai News reported that Jinjiahe Village is located in Nanbei Town, Shimen County, Hunan, and is the most remote and highest-altitude village in Changde City, with an average elevation of 1200 meters.
“Almost the entire village has been submerged by the flood, our Jinjiahe Village may cease to exist.” A village official from Jinjiahe Village said on May 22nd, confirming the death of one villager that afternoon. The roads in Jinjiahe Village were heavily damaged.
Mr. Min, who works in the county seat of Shimen all year round, mentioned that his 68-year-old father lives alone in Jinjiahe Village. According to surveillance footage, around 1 a.m. on May 18th, water had already entered their home as his father was mopping the floor. They tried to inform his father to move to higher ground for safety, but they couldn’t reach him. Shortly after, the power went out, the network was cut off, and they couldn’t access the surveillance cameras.
Mr. Min quickly rushed back to Nanbei Town and, along with 11 other villagers, formed a search and rescue team to look for their families in Jinjiahe Village. The process of entering the village was extremely difficult. Mr. Min stated that the main road in Jinjiahe Village was severely damaged, making it impossible for vehicles to pass. They had to walk along small paths to enter the village, but due to landslides and flooding, they could no longer continue the search on their own.
Like Mr. Min’s father, Ms. Li’s grandfather, grandmother, and uncle were also missing in this flood disaster, with her grandmother tragically confirmed dead on May 19th.
On the afternoon of May 23rd, both Ms. Li and Mr. Min stated that they have not received any updates on their missing relatives.
According to on-site videos and photos, landslides occurred in several areas of Jinjiahe Village, houses along the river were inundated or washed away. This round of disasters resulted in some houses along the river in Jinjiahe Village being damaged.
Red Star News reported on May 20th that at noon, Mr. Wang, a villager of Jinhe Village in Nanbei Town, Shimen County, said that he works long term in Guangdong and has three relatives in his hometown: a 78-year-old mother, 83-year-old father, and an 80-year-old uncle. “My hometown is in the Hongyao area of Jinhe Village, located in the valley.” Mr. Wang said, “During the heavy rain, that entire area of my hometown was flattened by floods and mudslides, and my three elderly family members were swept away.”
Mr. Wang mentioned that on the evening of the 18th, someone sent him a video of recovering a deceased person, and he saw a person in the video who “looked like” his mother. Around 10 a.m. on the 19th, Mr. Wang confirmed his mother’s body in the neighboring Huping Mountain Town.
Besides his two elderly family members, Mr. Wang stated that neighbors in the village were also unaccounted for.
According to official Chinese media reports, as of 7:30 p.m. on May 22nd, the heavy rainfall had caused 7 deaths and 14 people missing in Shimen County.