"We ran for our lives": historic floods destroy Beijing couple's home

[August 04, 2023]  BEIJING (Reuters) - For year, Beijing resident Gao enjoyed a big apartment in the city's scenic west and a Class-E Mercedes Benz. He lost it all this week as a result of the most extreme rainfall to hit the Chinese capital in 140 years.

A person stands in front of a damaged residential building after remnants of Typhoon Doksuri brought rains and floods, in Mentougou district, Beijing, China August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Raging water, caused by storms that followed Typhoon Doksuri, destroyed his ground-floor apartment and washed away his Benz. His front window is now blockaded by tree trunks and his living room is filled with debris, forcing him and his wife into temporary housing.

Gao's apartment is in the Mentougou district, about 40 km from the heart of Beijing, where the first two flood-related casualties were recorded in the city. The area has been the worst hit by flooding.

The morning began as usual, the 60-year-old said, and then suddenly a mudslide submerged a nearby stream, and water started to pour inside his yard.

"Then the balcony collapsed and the water came in," Gao told Reuters in his living room as he tried to salvage what was still edible from a refrigerator that had fallen onto its side.

"Us two, me and my wife, we ran for our lives," he said.

Tree trunks and floating chunks of construction material sealed off his front window soon after their escape.

Water marks are still visible on the wall, just 30 centimeters shy of the ceiling. His clock was spared.

The storm has killed at least 20 people in Beijing and surrounding Hebei province, causing the worst flooding in the vast Hai river basin since 1963. The rains have since moved to northeast China.

Thousand of people have been displaced by the floods and rains, and many, like Gao, have had their homes ruined. When asked what he plans to do, Gao remains optimistic.

"You have to make do and live," said Gao, as he sifted through cans of bottled beer and muddied shirts. "As long as we're still here, other things can be sorted."

(Reporting by Josh Arsland and Tingshu Wang, additional reporting by Ryan Woo, writing by Albee Zhang; editing by Miral Fahmy)

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