China on flood alert as heavy rain forces evacuations
- Thousands of residents in Chongqing abandon their homes as rainy season reaches its peak
- Flood prevention crews deployed in the capital Beijing to clear drainage outlets
The downpours hit the northern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia, as well as regions south of the Yangtze River, including the municipality of Chongqing in the southwest and Zhejiang province in the east.
A warning issued on Saturday by China’s official weather forecast website said 11 provincial regions were expecting heavy rainfall.
In landlocked Chongqing, 4,500 people had to be evacuated from their homes in Wanzhou district on the weekend.
02:04
Extreme weather continues to batter China as flooding hits major cities
Earlier this month, more than 40,000 people in neighbouring Sichuan province were evacuated. Similarly, 2,400 people in northeastern Liaoning had been relocated as of Saturday afternoon.
Zhejiang’s flood control, typhoon prevention and drought relief office issued an emergency notice late on Sunday, ordering local staff to take action to prevent deaths and injuries from natural disasters.
“Given that the province is still experiencing sporadic, sudden, and localised heavy rainfall, which is very harmful, all localities are required to maintain a high degree of vigilance,” the office said.
“[They must also] fully implement the main duties of flood control and disaster relief; and guarantee responsibilities at all levels.”
The office also urged authorities to increase the frequency and timeliness of warnings. As of Sunday afternoon, five people had died and three were missing in the eastern coastal province, with 26 houses collapsed and more than 1,600 households affected by power outages. More rainstorms are expected this week.
01:25
Deadly floods sweep China’s northern and eastern provinces
On Sunday morning, the National Meteorological Centre issued a blue rainstorm warning – the lowest in its four-tier system – for multiple places, including in the north.
By Sunday evening, a yellow warning – the second-lowest – for geological disasters was in effect for parts of Jiangxi, Hunan and Sichuan.
In Beijing, 2,600 flood prevention crew members were on the offensive on the weekend, draining dozens of pumping stations and clearing thousands of water drainage outlets along roads in advance of the rain. At one point, the downpours forced the suspension of 19 bus routes serving the suburbs and mountainous areas.
Flash floods following three days of severe seasonal rains have also devastated neighbouring countries, with 31 deaths in Afghanistan and 13 in Pakistan.
