It Takes A Plane

I’ve heard there’s been flooding.  I’ve seen pictures of water rushing out of pipe drains in the subway, and cars floating out in parking lots.  It never rains in Beijing, except for when it does and then the city can’t handle it.  Some urban issues are more significant than others. Flooding has a bad historical resonance.  Emperors that couldn’t control flooding were at risk of forfeiting the mandate of heaven.  Yu the Great set the bar way up high in 2200 B.C., controlling the waters.  So I’m sure there is a chain of fire-breathing just now, with central government authorities and city government authorities kicking down to the next level, who in-turn make their kicking known and so on. 

Yesterday I heard horror stories of colleagues returning from Wuhan to Beijing who were forced to spend the night in Henan.  I purposefully delayed my departure to let the rain pass and the floodwaters recede.  Arriving at the airport this morning I was glad to learn that the plane, at least, was here.  This is the key metric, which suggests a reasonable probability of an on-time departure.  It takes a plane. 

So I’m typing at a Starbucks, finishing up the same Starbucks chicken salad and kiwi juice lunch I always have.  To my right, a triple espresso, filled with ice, which I am now starting to imbibe.  Boarding starts in eight minutes or so and I haven’t gone anywhere near security, but tardiness will allow me to waltz through the quick line.  In the U.S. it would be “tough-luck” as everyone would likely game the system the same way and someone with a crew cut would put an end to it.

Up in Beijing, the house will be empty.  My wife and kids are all over in the U.S.  I am rather concerned that there will be no electricity, as it can just run down.  There may be no gas or no water or no internet, as these things can run down the same way.  There may be water in the basement.  I’ve never lived here and the landlord has already written me asking if there was any damage.  Presumably he’s lived through it before.  All will be revealed soon.