University student creates document to help flood rescue efforts in Henan

As torrential rains inundated Henan, a document titled “Information on People Waiting for Rescue” quickly spread online, becoming a life-saving tool for people stranded in the central Chinese province.

The document Li Rui created (Photo/Xinhua Daily Telegraph)

The creator of the document, Li Rui, nicknamed Manto, whose hometown is in Henan, said one person on the list was rescued six hours after she created the document on July 20. The shared document, described by netizens as an information distribution center that can be updated by several people at the same time, was visited 2.5 million times in 24 hours.

Li Rui (Photo provided by the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics)

Thanks to the document, several people have been rescued quickly, including a girl suffering from high fever, an 84-year old, a baby who hadn’t drunk any water for a whole day, and a pregnant woman who was sent to hospital, where she had a baby girl.

Li Rui, a student at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics based in Shanghai, said she wanted to do her part for society.

A post from the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics on Weibo confirming Li Rui's identity as the document creator (Photo/Xinhua Daily Telegraph)

From 8 pm on July 17 to 8 pm on July 20, total precipitation of 617.1 mm was recorded in Zhengzhou, the capital city of the province, close to the city's average annual precipitation of 640.8 mm, said the city's meteorological bureau. The city registered 201.9 mm of precipitation from 4 pm to 5 pm on July 20, a record hourly high for Chinese mainland.