Chapter 389 - 317 History Will Not Simply Repeat Itself

Fang Huai was a bit obsessive-compulsive.

During his school days, once he saw the ground, he couldn’t step on the cracks between the bricks, feeling that stepping on them would lead to his death; in autumn, if he encountered fallen crisp leaves, he had to completely crush them, and if they weren’t fully crushed, he would turn back to step on them again.

After entering society, he would return to check the toilet to see if it had flushed properly, even more than ten minutes after doing his business; when encountering a familiar movie scene, song lyrics, or past events that he couldn’t remember, he could be tangled up for a whole day, sometimes even forming imaginary memories.

Thus, when scrolling through short videos, he found incredible satisfaction in those about teeth cleaning, earwax removal, carpet cleaning, or fixing donkey hooves.

What he was doing at the moment very precisely scratched his kidney reflex area.

He flushed away the clumps of stubborn silt blocking part of the flood discharge mouth, scattering and pushing them into the flow to be washed away.

Rows of tree branches that divided the water at the flood discharge mouth were snapped, skewed by him, and likewise carried into the flow, swept downstream.

The dirty sediment sitting in the lower part of the reservoir at the flood discharge mouth and the long-standing grime above the regularly shaped rectangular flood discharge mouth were blasted clean by his water gun.

Even though the reactionary force from the water pressure in his water gun had him suspended in the air, swaying constantly, he also found crevices in the rocks to hook his feet and try to stabilize his posture.

One after another, the flood discharge mouths were cleared.

The water no longer divided by these branches nor blocked by the silt gradually converged, and the water flow slowly increased.

The first step in blocking the flood has been the same method since ancient times: isolate and divert.

Destroy the water head.

The energy lost per unit mass of liquid during flow is termed as head loss, and the resistance along the way effectively reduces the speed of the water’s impact.

Whether it’s driving piles, throwing stones, or using modern means, the principle remains the same.

These stubborn silt and debris functioned as a resistance along the course, which was now being destroyed one by one by Fang Huai.

Fang Huai’s innate ability was still destruction.

Only this time, his destructive capability was utilized in facilitating drainage to protect the dam, rather than in blowing it up as before.

Beneath, Fang Huai was enjoying himself, while above, people frantically commented over the two-way radio:

"Fang Huai! Stop swinging! This is a safety rope! Not steel reinforcement!"

"I’m not swinging! The water gun is making me swing! The rope has two lines, right? Don’t worry, just move the rope a bit to the left! I’m changing positions!"

The protectors were too busy to pay attention, but the surrounding leadership ran to the side, looking at Fang Huai mid-slope on the dam body with delighted eyes.

Some media present also rushed over to record and take photos.

Of course, these were all from the provincial and city media.

In less than half an hour, Fang Huai had cleared a large portion; where he had passed, the water flowed freely, and some of the accumulated yellow sand was also washed out.

There were also fish.

The water flow was more than twice as fierce compared to when he went down.

"Good, very good," the mayor began applauding, and the previous urgency had turned into confidence:

"With the water flow increased here, we now have time! Detachment Captain Li, thank my firefighting comrades!"

Around them, applause rose.

Although the fire brigade was a military-civilian dual leadership unit, it was primarily managed by the top authority.

In their eyes, the Squadron from their province wasn’t just part of their administrative region but belonged to the Provincial Fire Brigade.

Any firefighter from the province belonged to one major unit.

Regimental Commander Li didn’t have the heart to respond, only staring at that silhouette, filled with a mix of emotions.

Learned another trick from the Provincial Special Duty Team, huh...

It was more than just one trick.

Decisively putting the fire truck to work pumping water and then coming up with the idea to dredge the outlet, this kind of proactive and flexible response to disaster management was something that the people from the Squadron should study closely.

The leaders present, looking at that fearless, flipping figure in the air, felt various sighs and had a clearer understanding of the fire brigade’s capabilities.

The fire brigade had a wide range of uses, the soldiers’ abilities were strong, and moreover, it was a force that they could call upon; in the future, they would need to foster a better relationship with the fire brigade.

...

The task was not easy.

The number of miscellaneous items in the reservoir was extraordinary; the outlets that were cleared needed to be blocked off again from time to time.

Moreover, the pressure increased from 0.6 to 1.8, and even the third truck, carrying thirteen tons of water, couldn’t withstand such a force and had to re-fill with water during the process.

Fang Huai’s time below lasted a full two hours.

When he was hoisted up, the protective belt around his waist had reddened a large patch of his abdomen, something only Fang Huai could endure for so long.

The protectors had taken several turns, with virtually the whole Second Squadron collectively exhausted.

It was damn difficult.

A high-pressure hose and water gun, and a man weighing over a hundred pounds, constantly swaying down below and continuously changing positions, posed the biggest challenge to those responsible for safety.

Every three to four people could only last about ten minutes before losing strength, and they needed to be replaced immediately.

It’s easy to imagine that if everyone went down to manually dredge, how many people would need to be stationed above for protection.

By the time he lay on solid ground, the sun was already shining brightly.

Fang Huai gasped loudly as he ranted,

"Damn... If I were a laborer, I wouldn’t do this job even for ten thousand Yuan an hour! High-altitude suspension work is really not meant for humans!"

Next to the fire truck, Hao Chengbin rolled his eyes, gasping heavily as he stood up, revealing a dark bruise that wrapped around his waist as he lifted his shirt.

"I told you not to sway, not to sway! But you just had to make a big deal out of it! You nearly broke my back!"

The others were also constantly shaking their hands.

There was not a single anchor point above the dam, fire trucks couldn’t dare to drive up, not a person dared to not pull the rope tightly, and after Fang Huai went down, he made quite a few demands, not only to move left and right but also to be pulled up and then lowered a bit again. This dredging was a huge test for everyone.

"I didn’t have a choice, the water gun pressure was too..." Fang Huai spoke, then turned his head and just saw several fire trucks approaching from a distance.

Upon a closer look, he was astonished,

"Damn... How come there are so many trucks?"

The entire reservoir was lined with vehicles parked up high on both sides.

Watering trucks, suction trucks, fire trucks, and some police officers were carrying various sizes of water pumps, connecting tubes into the reservoir to pump out water and discharge it outside.

Indeed, the whole province’s efforts were mobilized.

The reservoir water, he had the clearest view of it, the bottom had already filled up with silt, 6 million cubic meters, at least over a million of which was dead storage volume, yet it was something people desperately tried to preserve.

Being on the scene and thinking about the vastly different life after more than a decade when the country would be much stronger, one could truly feel how difficult these past years had been.

Water safety, food safety, things that people encounter every day but don’t know the source of, the hardships behind them are unimaginable.

In the past, hearing about a reservoir collapse and emergency repairs, it just seemed like news, but if there truly was no water for a few days, having to find a place to fetch water even for washing your face, brushing your teeth, or flushing the toilet, only then could you understand what those repairmen rushed to do in the news, and what they brought to everyone.

Fang Huai couldn’t help but get up and run over to the side again to see if the water flow had decreased.

"Comrade, you’re up!"

Leaders from far away saw that Fang Huai was already up, and immediately brought the swarm of reporters over.

Of course, Fang Huai first saluted towards Detachment Captain Li next to him.

"Good day, chief!"

"Good, good, you comrades from the Provincial Special Duty Team have really taught us a lesson today with your excellent work! Your contributions are immense!" Detachment Captain Li returned the salute with a beaming smile.

The water had surged rapidly since last night’s downpour, and by morning, the water level had nearly surpassed the highest flood check line, reaching the design limit of the reservoir’s highest water level. A wave would come, and standing on the dam top, one could reach out and touch the water, using the phrase ’hanging by a thread’ was not an overstatement.

But now, with the clear weather and concerted efforts from many sides, the water level had stabilized the situation, and even receded a bit.

Everyone’s mood had brightened with the weather.

The disaster had also passed its most tumultuous phase.

"It’s good the rain stopped early, truly lucky," Fang Huai sighed, then said to the leaders beside him,

"There are some problems inherent in the design of this reservoir, the flood discharge mouth must be widened, and if it’s to be used further, the entire reservoir must be drained and dredged. Otherwise, based on Wangmo’s rainfall history, every time there’s heavy rain, it’s a gamble with luck."

Fang Huai thought about the even bigger flood from 11 years ago and couldn’t help but add another comment.

Three disasters in six years, each worse than the last, just the thought of it is terrifying.

The smiles of a few county leaders around him froze for a moment.

Dredging costs more than thirty Yuan per cubic meter, even for just two or three hundred thousand cubic meters of dredging, it’s a decision they dare not make.

Safety, cleanliness, everyone understands the principles, but the whole county’s white teeth, sadly, are not worth those hundreds of millions.

Fang Huai, seeing their expressions, sighed and said, "If it’s really impossible to clean, you should at least widen the flood discharge mouth by double and before the flood season the reservoir should be lowered to three meters below the normal storage level."

With reporters taking photos, no one wanted an awkward silence, the county head nodded and said,

"This year’s natural disaster was very sudden. Just the year before last, we experienced a once-in-eighty-year flood, and this year, we faced a once-in-a-century flood again. Such a situation is rare in history.

We must thank these soldiers who are willing to risk their lives to save the people. On behalf of the common folk, I thank you."

After speaking, his gaze shifted slightly towards the direction of the reporters,

"What this firefighting comrade said is very correct, some work is essential, and the county government bears a great responsibility. Our government comrades must also work together to make the most of conditions, to overcome current difficulties with indomitable spirit, while seeking new development paths and resolving these hidden dangers!"

Fang Huai understood what was being conveyed,

Use conditions and overcome difficulties with spirit; that meant there was no money for repairs, or perhaps, the county head also was uncertain how much disaster relief funds would be allocated from above and didn’t dare to make a commitment on the spot.

An eighty-year, a hundred-year floods, rare in history...

But the one from 11 years ago was a once-in-two-hundred-years event.

History does not simply repeat itself, it rhymes.

And last time it was a single rhyme, this time it’s a double rhyme, next will be a triple...

Life doesn’t have room for luck.

Fang Huai sighed deeply in his heart but didn’t show it outwardly. He was not a young radical who was discontent with everything. Sitting in the county head’s seat, with dozens of departments looking up to you with open mouths, it’s quite normal not to dare make financial commitments.

Fortunately, there were still three years left, and the rain disaster wasn’t sudden, so there was still time to remind them again later if needed.