On the evening of August 14, heavy rain in Suzhou caused water from Taihu Lake to flood into a residential garage, leading to some vehicles being submerged. Some residents blamed the property management for the incident, claiming that their negligence resulted in the flooding of the garage. This news quickly went viral on August 16.
A video released by the “Xiaoxiang Morning Post” on August 15 showed rainwater rushing down the corridor into the underground garage, with the audio commentary saying, “In less than an hour, half of the parked vehicles were already submerged.”
The incident occurred in a residential area near Taihu Lake in Wuzhong District, Suzhou, where the garage was flooded due to the backward flow of lake water.
One homeowner stated that as soon as he noticed water entering the garage that night, he immediately notified other residents through the community group chat, but some residents were unable to move their vehicles in time.
However, some homeowners told China News that the flooding of the garage was due to the negligence of the property management. They claimed that the property management failed to notify residents in advance to move their vehicles or to prepare for home flood prevention, which resulted in vehicles being damaged without their knowledge, causing significant losses. After the disaster, some property management companies responded passively, not taking proactive measures to mitigate the damage or assess residents’ losses, simply attributing the losses to natural disasters. If the property management had been diligent, most of the losses could have been prevented.
On the afternoon of the 15th, a homeowner told the “Xiaoxiang Morning Post,” “Apart from the garage still being flooded, the water in other areas of the residential area has already receded.” The property management reminded residents not to enter the flooded basement area, as there are many electrical devices that could pose a risk of electric shock.