Central China’s Henan Province has been hit by record-breaking rainstorms since the night of July 17. In order to know more about the situation of the churches and Christians in the province, Gospel Times interviewed believers in the cities of Zhengzhou, Gongyi, Jiaozuo, and Xuchang.
A grassroots pastor surnamed Wei said power was interrupted in their village yesterday, the road to the town was cut off, factories shut down and many places were draining floods.
A female believer from Xuchang said the overall condition of Xuchang was alright, but some places were quite serious, as many cars were flooded. She added that Zhengzhou was the most severe place where the water and power supplies were all cut off. She pleaded: “Please pray for us to end the disaster!”
A male Christian in Jiaozuo whose first name is Chen said a believer’s friend who was living in Pingdingshan had been trapped in his company for a day and a night. Many villagers were transferred as the river embankment swelled due to the torrential rains, and he was relatively safe for living in the urban area. He asked for help, saying, “Please pray for us, because our downstairs is flooded and we are short of water, though we still have some food and electricity supplies from the community.”
The flood caused 33 deaths in Zhengzhou, the capital of the province as of 4 am Thursday, according to Beijing News. In another badly affected city, Gongyi, many houses, and walls have collapsed, leaving one dead and two missing. Starting from 3 a.m. on July 21, the Flood-Level II emergency response in Henan Province was upgraded to Level I.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
