Nursing Home’s Low-Lying Location Turns Deadly in Beijing Floods

The July 28 flood in Putaojuan village, Miyun district, Beijing, was sudden and devastating. Witness Lu Huaidong, while attempting to block rising water outside his home, was forced to cling to a utility pole for two hours as torrents surged, witnessing neighbors swept away by the current. The floodwaters made returning home impossible and proved fatal for those unable to secure themselves. Such accounts underscore the rapid escalation and perilous conditions wrought by the flood, which left residents with no time to react or seek shelter [para. 1][para. 2].

Residents and victims' families reported receiving no warning before the Qingshui River overflowed, leading to a wall of water exceeding two meters that inundated homes and facilities in the area. Despite an ongoing government flood-control project along the Qingshui, which was supposed to have improved flood defenses before the rainy season, these measures were ultimately overwhelmed. As of July 29, local officials had not released a complete casualty count, but reports from firefighters indicated at least four more bodies were found that day. Further, official state media reported 30 deaths in Beijing attributed to the heavy rains, with 28 occurring in Miyun [para. 3][para. 4].

The Qingshui River, a vital waterway feeding the Miyun Reservoir (Beijing's significant water source), had recently been targeted for dredging and infrastructure reinforcement—a project meant to conclude before the flood season. Nevertheless, the speed and volume of water exceeded expectations, negating preventative efforts [para. 5].

The deluge began with heavy rain the night before, turning a normally shallow river into a two-meter-deep torrent by the next morning. Survivors spoke of dramatic rescues and losses, with many escaping only by climbing onto higher structures. For example, Gao Shuhong and her family evacuated onto rooftops as the water rapidly swallowed their home, enduring hours of anxiety before rescue [para. 6][para. 7][para. 8][para. 9].

The Taishitun Town Elderly Care Center, less than 500 meters from the river in a low-lying area, suffered severe flooding—water inside reached over two meters. The facility, home to 70 mostly immobile residents, experienced tragic losses. Many residents were unable to escape; only those with enough mobility to climb up survived. Families, like Zhang Jinfeng’s, faced agonizing waits for news of their relatives, and survivors recounted drastic last-minute escapes. Monthly fees for the nursing home ranged from 1,800 to 3,500 yuan ($250–$485), highlighting the vulnerability of residents and the inadequacy of emergency measures for such at-risk populations. Two neighboring residential compounds were also severely affected, submerging first floors and impacting over 300 households, again without prior warning [para. 12-24].

Local hospitals confirmed receiving patients from the care center, but full details were withheld pending official announcements. Disaster risk experts pointed to the negligence of not having targeted emergency plans for vulnerable populations [para. 25].

The flooding extended to neighboring Hebei province, where villages were cut off by destroyed roads and communication outages. Residents there described urgent shortages of food, medicine, and rescue teams struggling to reach elderly and young people still trapped. Social media saw desperate pleas for missing relatives, illustrating the widespread scale of the disaster and its ongoing human toll [para. 26-29].