2017.08.24

Severe Typhoon Hato landed in Zhuhai on August 23. Many cities, such as Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhongshan issued red alerts. All coastal cities in Guangdong, together with Hong Kong and Macao, suffered from the storm.

Work stopped, schools suspended their activities, businesses closed, and the utility network was shut down. Although we live in a technologically advanced age, the awesome power of an unexpected typhoon threatened to defeat us. It was as if our region was an island surrounded by a destructive force.

The typhoon not only destroyed our familiar city outlook but also stole the convenience and quietude from our lives. It made us face the disaster directly; it caused us to feel anxious and fearful. Fortunately, in the face of typhoon, some individuals endeavored to protect the city and our lives.

Active removal of danger under strong winds

It was 10:05 a.m. on August 23, in Fuhuali Office Zone.

It was shocking to see the window of the office building opposite crash to the ground under the ravages of the typhoon,

and even our glass window--which weighs 100 kilograms--was suddenly pulled open by the wind and suspended high in the air. Several male colleagues at Zhuhai Branch immediately rushed forward to grab the handle. One colleague from IT rushed into the computer room to take the cable and then used it to tie the window securely to the desk.

·Colleagues at Zhuhai Branch tightly held the window, which was blown open by the fierce storm

·To avoid being blown open again, all the windows were reinforced with duct tape

Thanks to the effort of all colleagues in Zhuhai Branch, all the windows in the office are intact. Our company was also the only one in this office building to actively mitigate the risk.

·The appearance of the office in the typhoon

It was 11:30 a.m. on August 23 at the underground garage in Fuhuali Office Zone. The office building began to shake due to the tremendous wind, and the pendant lamps on their ceilings swung back and forth dramatically. The head of Administration organized staff to pass through the secure channel in an orderly manner and evacuate to the garage.

·People working in the Fuhuali Office Building were evacuated to levels B1and B2 of the underground garage

·Our colleagues didn't forget to bring drinking water, which they distributed to people on each floor who needed it

It was 15:30 p.m. on August 23 for the projects of Zhuhai Branch. Hato had made landfall in the coastal area of Jinwan District, Zhuhai, bringing torrential rain. It caused the seawater to pour into the building, and the place where the typhoon passed was a mess. The project-related departments of Zhuhai Branch, in the landfall area, were guided by the principle of "safety first" and took emergency evacuation measures for project personnel, thus ensuring that all 346 people present could evacuate safely. The safety of all was confirmed again at 15:30 p.m.

They continued to protect their homeland despite the flooding

They removed sundries, reinforced ceiling lamps, cleared branches, billboards and other things in the park, underground garages and all entrances.

Amid communities filled with water and uprooted trees in the road, they pushed against the strong wind and heavy rain to clear obstacles. Heroically they removed trees from the middle of the road in order that owners wouldn't be blocked on their way home. They even carried injured owners and rushed them to the hospital regardless of the wind and rain.

They fought on the front line for all of August 23, and guarded their hometown against the ravages of the typhoon.

They are the employees of Times Property Management.

In Zhuhai and Zhongshan, which suffered most in the disaster, staff members of Times Property Management not only battled against the typhoon but were also busy serving owners. They went from home to home to repair the drainage and circuit systems, and they helped to clean up the community so as to ensure a more normal life for the owners.

Reviving the city at dawn

Not only did the typhoon bring the fear and the frustration that accompany such a terrifying experience, but it also generated the helplessness of seeing a beloved city turn into a mess. At a time when people were worried about whether the storm and its effects would return, the brave ones got out and made an effort.

Times Property Charity Foundation Zhuhai Branch reacted quickly and immediately by opening its clubhouse as an asylum point on August 23, in accordance with the Civil Affairs Bureau, thus providing temporary lodging for those whose homes were destroyed or damaged.

·The Disaster Response Team mustered promptly and was ready to go

At 6:00 a.m. on August 24, the Disaster Response Team came together, and more than ten volunteers from Times immediately joined the obstacle-clearance team of the Zhuhai Municipal Department to clear the roadblocks caused by the typhoon.

They helped gardeners secure trees and picked up fallen branches that lay strewn across the roads. They removed trees and the wreckage of the cars that hampered traffic, making the way safe for travel.

Volunteers from the Times Property Charity Foundation Zhongshan Branch worked with staff members from Times Property Management to help street-sanitation workers remove fallen trees and branches from major avenues in East District, Shaxi Town and West District. They even distributed purified drinking water to the sanitation workers as an expression of gratitude for the day's hard work. Everyone pulled together in the hope that Zhongshan would recover quickly.

The winds had been strong and the rain had been heavy, bringing a flood and the loss of many trees, the volunteers remained hopeful that their efforts would guard their hometown. It would take time to recover, but those who refused to yield to fear did their utmost to fortify the city's strength and resolve.

Dawn arrived, and the storm had passed. The sun rose. Although clouds lingered above the city, they could not block out all the welcoming rays of sunshine. A temporary mess cannot hide the warmth and tenderness that reside in people's hearts. Thanks to the efforts of many, life will continue.