Guangxi relief efforts in full swing

Residents have lunch in their flood-damaged home in Zhenlong township, Hengzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Wednesday. Continuous heavy rain and landslides have left over 20 villages isolated, causing power and communication outages and destroying roads and bridges. Emergency teams are working to repair damaged infrastructure, and ensuring relief supplies. CAI JIAHONG/YANGCHENG EVENING NEWS

Volunteer drone pilots, commercial operators and professional rescue teams are helping deliver food, medicine and other essential supplies to flood-hit communities in Hengzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, as damaged roads and inundated villages complicate relief efforts.

Heavy rainfall triggered by Typhoon Maysak caused reservoir breaches and widespread flooding on Monday, leaving some villages inaccessible by road and prompting emergency responders to expand the use of drones for supply deliveries.

Among those answering the call was Wang Guijun, a volunteer drone operator specializing in agricultural operations and cargo transport using heavy-lift drones. After seeing news of the flooding online, he traveled to Changtang village in Xiaoyi township on Tuesday to join other volunteer pilots supporting relief operations.

Since then, he has flown dozens of supply missions each day, delivering food, drinking water and other necessities to isolated communities.

"The floodwater has receded, but thick mud still blocks the village roads," Wang said. "We can only deliver supplies to the villages by drone."

Drone deliveries have become an integral part of broader relief efforts as local authorities work to reach communities cut off by flooding.

In Zhenlong township, where landslides, flooded roads and safety risks around the Liulan Reservoir disrupted transportation, emergency responders maintained contact with isolated communities via satellite phones while sending staff members and volunteers on foot to assess damage and identify residents' needs.

The local emergency command center adopted a relay distribution system, transporting relief supplies by truck to a primary school before volunteers carried them to stranded villages. About 40 staff members and volunteers are taking part in the operation to help meet residents' basic needs.

A drone is used to deliver food, drinking water and medical supplies to flood-stricken villages in Hengzhou. CHINA DAILY

Rescuers from China Anneng Construction Group have also used drones to conduct precision supply drops, delivering more than 120 emergency packages while ground crews worked overnight to reinforce damaged access roads and restore transportation links.

In Yunbiao township, where flooded roads and collapsed buildings left some residents stranded on rooftops and in mountainous areas, professional drone teams have joined volunteers in rescue operations.

Wu Sujun, chairman of Guangxi Xingfei Aviation Technology, has led a drone team from Nanning to the disaster area, where his company has deployed more than a dozen drones over the past three days in coordination with local emergency authorities.

The aircraft have been used to deliver emergency supplies to residents in areas that are difficult to reach by conventional rescue vehicles.

Wu said the operation had also highlighted the need for more heavy-lift cargo drones and standardized emergency training for drone operators to strengthen future disaster response.

"We'll stay here as long as we're needed," he said.

Additional drone teams have also arrived from outside Guangxi to support flood relief, bringing heavy-lift aircraft and experienced operators to assist with aerial supply deliveries and other emergency response tasks.

Cai Yunge, executive vice-chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, announced the latest rescue figures at a news briefing on Tuesday. By Tuesday, authorities had mobilized 8,342 rescuers, more than 1,700 engineering and rescue vehicles, over 5,700 boats and specialized rescue equipment, as well as 40 social rescue organizations with more than 300 volunteers.

Rescue efforts remain focused on mitigating reservoir risks, searching for trapped residents, draining flooded areas and delivering essential supplies to affected communities.

Contact the writers at zhangli@chinadaily.com.cn