Nieman Reports Publication – Beijing After the Flood

After the Flood – How photographer Sean Gallagher captured the devastating effects of Typhoon Doksuri on Beijing

The heavy rain had been pounding for three days straight. I peered through the raindrops running down my window as streaks of lightning crackled and thunder echoed in the distance above the mountains.

News started to trickle in. Record rains. Rumors of landslides. Floods engulfing villages.

I prepared my equipment and started charging drone batteries. I knew that as soon as the rain stopped, I would need to go to the mountains.

My social media feeds were awash with random pictures and videos. Broken roads and bridges. Buried cars. Houses swept away. Typhoon Doksuri was, according to Reuters, a “record-breaking rainfall” and one of the “worst storms in 140 years.” Because of the damage, I knew that traveling by bicycle would be the only way for me to reach some of the worst affected areas, which were about 30 kilometers from where I lived. The air was intensely humid, and the streets had turned to mud. I had to stop at points to carry my bike through the debris.

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