BEIJING: Flood-hit places in North China’s Hebei province have been making all-out efforts to accelerate post-disaster reconstruction work, to try and ensure students return to school as scheduled and businesses resume production as soon as possible.
“I didn’t expect we could go back to school on time because the flood had ruined so many facilities, including our school,” said Li Xintao, a student at Baoding Wutan Center High School in Zhuozhou, which was one of the cities in Hebei hardest-hit by floods earlier this month.
Li, and more than 1,300 students and teachers, were recently notified that the new school semester will start on Friday. “I’m very excited and grateful to everyone who has contributed to the fast recovery,” he said.
The school’s buildings and playground were damaged to varying degrees, with two major power lines broken and the campus grounds covered in mud and debris after the floodwaters receded.
To make sure students can resume classes as scheduled, the school organized teachers, students and even parents to join in the restoration work, said Wang Jichen, a school official.
“We have completed the cleaning and disinfecting work, as well as repair of the power lines,” Wang said.
The city is conducting safety assessments of 24 schools that were affected by the flooding, according to the local government. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
