Lack of sleep

Heading a team of 12 with an average age of about 30, Du Botao, who runs a hardware store in Fuxian county, Shaanxi province, was one of those who arrived in Henan on Wednesday.

Du said members of his group from the nonprofit emergency rescue organization Leiting, which translates as "quick as lightning", only managed to get a few hours' sleep every day due to the amount of rescue work.

He said they got to bed around midnight on Saturday after rushing to Weihui county from Zhengzhou to help cope with the grim situation. Just two hours later, after they had been involved in a rescue operation in chest-high water, they were called out again on another urgent mission.

After part of a dam was breached on the Weihe River, they were told to go to a location where there were potential hazards and stand by in case there was an emergency. However, no breaches occurred in the section of the dam the team members were guarding.

"I had never seen such severe flooding. I was scared," Du said.

His children attend kindergarten, and Du said he phoned home every day. "I know they worry about me a lot, although they never tell me that," he said.

He added that it seems as if his team members never feel tired and hungry, even though their clothes are drenched by muddy water and their skin is heavily bronzed by the sun.

"When local residents applaud their efforts, they feel shy and only respond by giggling," Du said.