On September 2nd, on an open patch of land roughly 400 to 500 meters from Cangnan County Vocational Secondary School, two heavy-lift transport drones, each with a 200-kilogram payload capacity, were alternating takeoffs and landings. Bottled water, congee, and boxed meals were loaded in sequence, lifting off and skimming low through the rain, making精准 deliveries to the school rooftop in less than two minutes per trip.

"I’ve lost count of how many trips we’ve made, but this is definitely the longest I’ve ever flown in a single day," said 21-year-old pilot Huang Shengqiang, his voice hoarse but brimming with excitement over the phone. This was his first time operating a drone for emergency rescue operations. "Physically, I'm exhausted, but mentally, I feel deeply fulfilled. Knowing I can use my professional skills to help others brings a real sense of peace."

That day, persistent heavy rainfall caused severe urban flooding in Cangnan County, Wenzhou, blocking roads and halting traffic across multiple areas. The vocational school, located on the low-lying southern side of the county seat, saw floodwaters rise above car roofs, trapping over 2,500 teachers and students in the school with power and water cut off and food supplies running critically low. Rescue boats couldn't get through, and personnel couldn't wade across the deep, hazardous water, making traditional rescue methods inefficient.

After the emergency unfolded, the County Transportation Bureau's Low-Altitude Economy Development Center activated its emergency dispatch procedure, coordinating several medium and large lifting drones from local companies like Ziwu Technology to rush to the disaster-struck campus around 9 a.m. A journalist from Tide News promptly contacted this young drone pilot team, whose average age is just 24, to document the "aerial lifeline" they established amidst the storm.

Round Trips in Two Minutes: Over 11.3 Tonnes Moved in a Single Day

Around 8 a.m., Cai Qingshui, head of Wenzhou Ziwu Technology Co., Ltd., received a call informing him of the disaster situation and instructing him to prepare for an emergency response. "About an hour later, the county transportation bureau's emergency dispatch call came in, saying over 2,500 students were trapped at Cangnan Vocational School and in urgent need of supplies," Cai recalled. He immediately notified his pilots to assemble. "We got the call at 9 a.m. and arrived at the scene around 9:20 a.m. There were many students and teachers, and using rescue boats was inefficient, only carrying about a dozen boxes of water per trip."

They located a relatively flat area near the school and began using the drones to ferry supplies. In videos and photos Cai sent, a vast flooded area stretches out in front of the open ground, with supplies being carried over the water by the drones. Due to site and flight path constraints, they could only operate two of the 200-kilogram payload heavy-lift drones in rotation. An additional drone, equipped with a thermal imaging camera and loudspeaker, was used for on-site command and coordination. "From 10 a.m. until now, we haven't stopped," Cai said. Although he doesn't pilot the drones himself, he remained on-site, coordinating for the pilots and handling logistical support.

The two drones flew "point-to-point" back and forth over a straight-line distance of 477 meters, taking just about 30 seconds per one-way trip. Including loading and unloading, a full round trip took only two to three minutes. By 4:30 p.m., the two drones had completed nearly 200 sorties, delivering approximately 600 boxes of bottled water (over 10,000 bottles), over 10,000 bottles of congee, more than 3,000 boxed meals, and over 200 boxes of milk, with a total weight of 11.3 tonnes.

Young Pilot: "It's My First Real Rescue, I'm Really Proud"

"The students are hungry, some might be experiencing low blood sugar, so we have to speed things up," said 21-year-old pilot Huang Shengqiang. He and his colleagues arrived at 10 a.m. and worked in shifts, each piloting for five to six hours straight, with only a quick bottle of congee for lunch. Huang, who hails from Jiangxi and joined Ziwu Technology after graduating in 2024, has been flying drones for just over a year. This was his first direct involvement in emergency rescue. "Before, I'd only seen drone rescues in videos from Guangxi. I never thought I'd be the one doing it this time." He said seeing the flood victims wading through the water, soaked to the bone, with hope in their eyes, was deeply moving. "All we can do is get the water and food to the people who need it as fast as possible."

According to Cai, the five pilots average just 24 years old, with the youngest being 21. Despite their youth, the team operates with skill and seamless coordination. During flights, one person controls the drone, while others handle on-site coordination, battery changes, and cargo attachment. The drones need a battery change roughly every five trips, but the team's 11 batteries can be fully recharged in just 8 minutes, ensuring sustained operational capacity. "We mainly use these two transport drones because having too many in the air could pose a safety risk," Cai explained.

"Normally, we wouldn't fly in the rain, but given the students' need for meals, as long as the rain isn't too heavy, we'll use our skills to get the supplies through," Huang said. When contacted late in the afternoon, the local rain had mostly stopped, but the floodwaters had not receded. Cai told the reporter that the team was preparing to deliver dinner to the school, "We plan to finish delivering the dinner supplies to the school by around 8 p.m." Beyond the vocational school, Cai had also received coordination notices from the county's low-altitude task force and the public security bureau. Once the current mission concludes, the team will also head to the county detention center to continue supply deliveries.

In this race against time, the drones demonstrated clear advantages over traditional methods. Cai admitted that the company typically uses drones for commercial purposes like cargo transport, agricultural and forestry plant protection, and high-altitude cleaning. "This was purely a public service, we had to help out," he said. Many onlooking residents, seeing the drones deliver supplies up close for the first time, marveled at their speed and usefulness. "Seeing the supplies flown in, trip after trip, is very moving. Helping people within our means, expecting nothing in return, brings us joy," Cai said. He added that the flooding impacted the county seat and several towns, with severe waterlogging in many old urban areas. "Residents may have some food stored, but collective institutions like schools may lack reserves, putting a lot of pressure on ensuring supplies."

"We Can't Afford to Let Our Guard Down For a Second"

The journalist also contacted Lin Yuanmu, principal of Cangnan County Vocational Secondary School. When the call connected, his voice was anxious as he was coordinating the delivery of dinner for the students. "If visibility becomes too poor for the drones tonight, we'll have to resort to rescue boats, assisted by the county education bureau," he said. According to Lin, the floodwater depth varies across the campus, with depths around 30 to 60 centimeters near the dormitories. "In the morning, we relied on rescue boats, making 88 trips to bring in supplies like congee. At noon, we switched to aerial drops via drone for bottled water and lunch, which greatly improved efficiency."

Following the county education bureau's directives, the school immediately made arrangements for day students to return home safely. The school predominantly houses boarding students. Both the male and female dormitory buildings are built on stilts, with no students housed on the first floor; all remaining students are accommodated on the upper floors, making them relatively safe. "The situation is critical, and we can't afford to let our guard down for a second," Lin said rapidly over the phone. He and the school's Party branch secretary, Yi Yongji, have been stationed at the school since the disaster occurred. Each floor of the dormitories has instructors on duty, and all administrative, moral education, and logistics staff are residing at the school, staying with the students and providing round-the-clock supervision to ensure their safety.

Lin also highlighted that the school continuously distributes bottled water to students periodically to ensure everyone has enough to drink. They are also adding another 100 boxes, a total of 2,400 bottles, as reserve stock to guarantee nighttime water needs. "Meals are prepared by other schools and airlifted to the campus via drones, ensuring everyone gets a hot meal. The dinner delivery is currently being coordinated to secure three meals a day for all students and staff on campus."

"The school has a rescue boat on standby at all times. If any student has a sudden emergency, we can arrange transport immediately," Lin said. He noted that the students on campus are generally in a stable condition, and the entire school staff remains highly alert, closely monitoring the floodwater levels and the students' physical and mental health, coordinating with all rescue forces to safeguard the safety of those remaining at the school.

In this rescue effort, two drones, five young individuals, and 11.3 tonnes of supplies formed a heartwarming aerial lifeline amidst the flood fighting. As of 7 p.m. on September 2nd, the rescue was still ongoing. These young pilots were set to continue delivering hope to more trapped residents.