An elderly woman is carried to safety during heavy rain in Wuxi on Aug 10. [Photo provided to en.wuxi.gov.cn]
Typhoon Dolphin slammed into Wuxi on Aug 10, bringing heavy rain and fierce winds that caused severe flooding in many parts of the city, prompting authorities to order evacuations and deploy rescue teams across the affected zones.
Low-lying communities saw a swift surge in water levels, trapping residents in their homes. Emergency responders worked throughout the day to reach those in need.
In the worst-hit neighborhoods, rescue teams went door‑to‑door. In one instance, firefighters carried an elderly man who could not walk on his own out of his flooded ground‑floor home. In another, police officers waded through water up to their knees to reach two residents in their 80s and carried them to safety.
Separately, a community worker on patrol found a mother who had just been discharged from the hospital the previous day, along with her newborn baby, who was less than five days old. Officials quickly arranged a high‑clearance truck to drive through the flooded streets and move the family to a hotel.
A traffic police officer helps check the car in the heavy rain. [Photo provided to en.wuxi.gov.cn]
Community staff members carried out detailed inspections of low‑lying areas, slopes, and older walls, looking for signs of collapse. They also set up pumps to remove standing water. In one community, a team of 64 volunteers, including military veterans and local residents, helped with evacuations and the distribution of meals. A total of 18 people from seven households were taken to shelters, where they received hot food.
Traffic police worked to clear major roads that had been submerged and rescued several cars that had stalled in deep water. Volunteer teams continued to patrol the affected areas well into the evening, paying special attention to elderly people living alone.
By the end of the day, no injuries or deaths had been reported. Emergency crews remained on alert, with local authorities vowing to keep monitoring rainfall and river levels overnight.
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