On August 20, 2024, the meteorological department of Liaoning Province announced that from 11 p.m. on August 18 to 10 a.m. on the 20th, there were heavy to torrential rains in the western part of Liaoning Province, with some townships in Huludao experiencing severe downpours. On August 20, all work and production in Jianchang County came to a halt.
According to reports from mainland media, due to the sudden and heavy rainfall, some townships in Jianchang County, Huludao City, were hit by flash floods, leading to the closure of highways with over 300 people trapped in the affected areas. Among them, Heishanke Township, Leijiadian Township, Heshangfangzi Township, Yangmadianzi Township, and Datun Town in Jianchang County suffered the most severe damage.
Furthermore, communication in Jianchang was disrupted, with only satellite phones available and communication cut off in four villages. The topic “Communication disruption in four villages in Huludao, Liaoning” trended on social media.
However, netizens pointed out: “It’s not just four villages; apart from intermittent signals in the county town, all other townships including Lian Tong, China Telecom, and China Mobile cannot be contacted.” “Currently, the entire Jianchang County has lost internet and electricity connection.”
Public data shows that Jianchang County has seven towns, 21 townships, and an economic zone. As of the end of 2022, the county had a total population of 610,218.
According to netizens, the “mainly affected areas are downstream of the reservoir, with no issues in the mountains. Bajiazi Reservoir is the largest, and the water level has reached the rooftops.”
A villager, Mr. Zhang from Heishanke Township, shared with the media that the rain started at 3 a.m., making it impossible to escape, leading to floods engulfing several villages.
In a video message, villagers stated, “The houses have collapsed, the neighboring houses have collapsed too; we have been trying to call for help, but the phones are not working.”
Another villager mentioned, “In Hantun Village, Datun Town, Jianchang County, almost half of the village is gone, with people on rooftop as the water level is about to reach them.”
Many netizens expressed their anxieties, “Please let the rain stop; our entire family was on their way home for a wedding and got caught in this heavy rain. We have lost contact with them, and I’m going crazy with worry. Is there any information about Lama Cave Xiaozhangzi? What is the situation now? Is there any rescue operation underway? Please keep everyone safe.” “How is Xigou in Jianchang County? It’s been seven to eight hours since we lost contact, which is really upsetting.” “Has anyone received any news? I am also concerned about Xiaodeyingzi; my family has been out of contact all this time.” “What do we do? Our village (Xijianshanxiang) is now out of contact, and I can’t reach my mother.” “Emergency rescue needed in Wangjiadian, Suizhong County, Huludao City! All signals lost, water and power cuts, unable to contact family members, please pay attention to this plea.”
Some netizens questioned, “Is Liaoning Province incapable of proper drainage? Leaders should pay more attention to this.”
On the morning of the 20th, Suizhong County, Lianshan District, and Xingcheng City in Huludao successively issued red rainstorm warnings, with heavy rainfall expected in the next 2-3 hours.
By approximately 4:50 p.m., reporters from Jue News learned from the Jianchang County government that communication in some areas had been restored, and there were no reports of casualties. However, due to the Communist Party’s habit of concealing disaster situations, the actual casualties remain unknown.