Jet skis to the rescue

When Tianjin resident Tang Jiawei upgraded his favorite jet ski, among 30 that he owns, he wasn't expecting to turn into a lifesaver.

On July 25, Tianjin was inundated by heavy rain and many vehicles and motorists were stranded in the flooded streets. Tang put his jet ski to good use.

Organizing a team of 30 motorboats, he rescued eight vehicles and many stranded people.

"I helped rescue stranded drivers while surfing the waters," says the 30-year-old.

Tang Jiawei and his volunteer team help out stranded drivers in Tianjin's floods. Zhao Chen / For China Daily

According to Tang, his 395 horsepower Kawasaki jet ski is comparable in power to the Audi A8 W12, after he made his modifications.

He says his wife was originally against his good Samaritan outings on the jet ski because she was worried about his safety.

"After seeing how many victims of the flood I saved, even becoming an online star, she supported me," Tang says.

"Were it not for my 2-year-old son she has to take care of, she said she would go with me," Tang adds, laughing.

The volunteer rescuers are all from the Zhuoyue Motorboat Club, which has 50 members and 30 jet skiers. On weekends they often drive to a nearby reservoir for fun.

Tang is the founder of the club and says that since he majored in auto repairs at college he has been a fan of extreme sports.

"It was the first time to carry out a rescue, but we hope our hobby can be of further help during emergencies," says Tang, who is also the owner of an auto repair workshop in Tianjin.

"Most of us are outdoor sports fanatics and are very skilled at driving the speedboats. We believe we are very qualified to take up such a responsibility."

Tang's assistance is not always welcome, however. Hearing that a rescue team organized by the Beijing government was about to carry out a rescue operation on Aug 2 at the Ming Tombs Reservoir, Tang and other volunteers offered their help - but they were turned down for "not being professional enough".

"We have years of experience driving speedboats and most importantly, we are willing to help," says disappointed volunteer Chen Wen, 29.

Tang says he was inspired to offer his assistance when he heard of a group of volunteers in the capital who assisted for free passengers at Beijing Capital International Airport, whose flights were canceled and could not find a taxi.

Wang Lu, 28, from the capital's Wangjing area, about 15 km from the airport, organized some 20 volunteers and picked up more than 500 passengers from the airport on July 21, when the capital was hit by the biggest downpour in more than 60 years.

"Whether or not we are accepted by the government, our efforts will proceed," Tang says. "The local weather authorities predict there might be more hard rain in the coming days. We're well prepared," Tang says.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn