China’s north still on alert for floods with threat of more bad weather to come
- Some parts of Beijing are at risk of fresh waves of flash flooding, and yellow rainfall warnings remain in place for much of the country
- Water-logged Zhuozhou takes the unusual step of appealing directly to the public for help
Residents from five villages in Liucun, a township in Beijing’s Changping district, had to be evacuated after floodwaters damaged infrastructure, and it was unclear when they could return home, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday.
Construction crews were also working to repair damaged bridges and roads in the capital’s Fangshan district and communication networks in Laishui, a county in Hebei.
The country’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, has “urgently” allocated 100 million yuan (around US$14 million) to rebuild infrastructure and public services in parts of Beijing and Hebei.
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03:23
Rescue operations continue after severe flooding in northern China from Typhoon Doksuri
Some affected areas have made appeals for public support, including in Zhuozhou, a county-level city in Hebei where more than 130,000 people have been affected.
In an unusual move, the city posted bank account details on its social media account, asking the community for financial and material support. Disaster relief is generally handled by the central government.
Laishui’s red cross association has also said it will take public donations to aid flood victims.
While some services have been restored, dangers persist, with authorities renewing flood warnings for the weekend.
Areas in Beijing’s mountainous and northwestern districts will be at risk of flash flooding until Saturday morning, according to a warning jointly issued by Beijing’s water and meteorological bureaus.
03:06
Beijing orders all-out search and rescue as deadly flooding sweeps northern China
Nine of the capital’s 16 districts could be hit by fresh waves of flooding, with “disasters” “highly likely” in some parts of Fangshan, Mentougou and Miyun districts, the warning said.
Meanwhile, the floodgates were going to be opened at Beijing’s Shisanling reservoir in Changping district on Friday after the dam exceeded its storage capacity.
On Friday morning, the National Meteorological Centre issued yellow warnings for heavy rainfall in Hebei and Beijing.
The warnings – the second-lowest in the national four-tier system – also applied to much of China’s northeastern provinces, including Jilin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, as well as the north, southwest, and Guangdong and Guangxi in the south.
A red flood warning – the highest alert – was in place for Harbin and the Mudan River region in Heilongjiang province, one of the country’s main grain production areas.
