Source: Xinhua Net
Xinhua News Agency, Urumqi, April 1 Title: Wind and snow storm, three generations of "scavengers" relay rescue
Xinhua News Agency reporters Guan Qiaoqiao and Zhao Ge
At the end of March, the grass in the south of China flew long warblers, and the desert Gobi in the northwest border had just faded ice and snow. It was not until this time that Batusan, who was guarding Mayitas, left with confidence.
Mayitas is located in Emin County, Tacheng District, Xinjiang, on the northwestern border of China. This is a rare blizzard disaster area in China and even the world, with windy weather above level 8 every year for up to 180 days, the maximum wind speed of 40 meters per second, and the strong wind envelops the blizzard, often burying the roads here.
Counting the winter that just passed, the 41-year-old Batusan guarded the place for 10 years. Every year, after the winter, vehicles and travelers caught in the snow and wind rely on Batusan and his partners to open the way in order to get out of the danger safely.
Batusan is a Mongolian man who is located at the Mayitas emergency support base, which has a road maintenance class composed of multiple ethnic groups. Because of the long-term snow to protect the road and rescue the dead pedestrians, he is known as the "scavenger".
Because of its remote location and bad weather, there are few vehicles and pedestrians in Mayitas in winter. Until 2002, after the opening of the provincial highway 201 connecting Karamay City and Tacheng City, there were more round-trip vehicles, and in order to ensure the safety of traffic, the rescue team of the Mayitas Wind and Snow Rescue Base was formed.
From the beginning of November to the end of March every year, the team of 26 people undertakes the task of emergency rescue and protection of 103 kilometers of wind and snow sections such as provincial highways 201 and 318.
"This section is commonly known as the 'camel's neck', and due to the narrow terrain of the valley, the wind and snow form 'wind and snow' along the corridor, and the visibility is almost zero when severe." Living nearby since childhood, 54-year-old Hayirati White Mullah has a strong memory of the storm.
Three years ago, Heyirati White Mullah retired, and he witnessed three generations of Maitas and three generations of hard road protection.
Haiirati White Mullah said: "When I first started working, there was an old road at the foot of the mountain to the west. Later, as in other parts of Xinjiang, the roads were built better and better, with provincial highways and highways. ”
But the snow and wind did not disappear. In bad weather, snowflakes are swept up by the wind and thrown into the sky before they fall to the ground, forming a strong wind and snow flow. In less than half a day, the snow thickness of the section at the pass can reach about 1.2 meters, and the visibility is extremely low. "It took less than 5 minutes to be blown through by the cold wind in the snow, and in the past, there would be accidents of people and animals freezing to death and frostbite every winter." Batusan said.
When the wind reaches level 8, it is difficult to walk alone, and you even need to lie on the ground to not be blown away, and you can only drag three or five people forward.
In a rescue, Batusan and his team members dragged the trapped people for 32 kilometers for 7 hours.
"The wind is so fast that it's suffocating, and you have to hold your breath for a while and then turn your back to breathe, take a deep breath and then turn around and move on." Batusan said that "faint snow" occurs more often, and staying in the wind and snow for a long time will produce a feeling of nausea.
"Can you imagine what it was like for this car to be crammed into 50 people?" Batusan said that a Type 86 infantry fighting vehicle specially equipped by the rescue team had made three round-trips in the snow and wind, saving 150 people. "In life and death, chariots are like 'Noah's Ark,' it's packed, and every position means hope for life."
In the past 15 years, with the application of new equipment such as magnetic sensors and GPS navigators, Li Changqing, Yin Yantao, Mardani Duolihong and others of the "post-80s" and "post-90s" have also joined the rescue team. The three generations of the team consisted of five ethnic groups, including Han, Uyghur and Mongolian.
Stationed in the wind for many years, haunted by blizzards, the team members in addition to a bright and heavy orange-red uniform, but also have an almost identical appearance: rough and even cracked hands; irregular schedules of bulging sacs of eye bags; wind and snow and ultraviolet purple faces.
"There is no concept of day and night in this work, the wind and snow are the command, on call." Behind such claims is a staggering set of figures: 144 million cubic meters of snow were cleared, 12,000 vehicles were rescued, and 56,000 people were rescued in the storm and snow, which is equivalent to 10 people rescued every day.
The corridors of the rescue base were covered with pennants to express their gratitude to the rescued.
Spring is here, the snow is melting, the soil on the side of the road is exposed, and the 45-year-old Alimujan Dawut is driving around the road, and the mood is particularly relaxed.
In the future, he and Batusan may become more and more relaxed. The local government is exploring new technologies and carrying out wind and snow test projects to ensure travel safety. The changes have been evident, and under the joint support of meteorological, highway, transportation and other departments, the incidents of Mayitas snowstorms trapping vehicles and pedestrians have been greatly reduced.