Heavy rains have lashed many areas of southern China since June 9, prompting local authorities to step up flood control and rescue efforts to reduce disaster damage.
The emergency management department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China said Thursday that 48 rivers in Guangxi were above the flood alert level. The region began implementing a Level-II emergency response, the next highest in the four-tier emergency response system, to the floods Wednesday, with 64 counties in 11 cities in Guangxi affected by the floods.

The region’s Lijiang River, a signature scenery in the popular tourist destination of Guilin City, saw its worst flooding since 1998 between last Thursday and Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the Liujiang River in Guangxi saw its first flood peak as it passed through Liuzhou city, with the water level exceeding the warning level by 3.78 meters.

The urban area of the city suffered from severe waterlogging. Residents were seen carrying goods out of the basements of buildings. A resident surnamed Zhang said he began removing supplies from the basement  Tuesday evening, worried about the possibility of floodwater entering.

As the floodwaters receded, the city authorities decided to mobilize rescue efforts, including the city’s maritime affairs department, the Red Cross and volunteer groups, which responded to the emergency. Rescuers used boats in waterlogged areas to search for trapped people and move them in batches.
On Tuesday evening, the city’s power company, which is owned by China Southern Power Grid, took the initiative to cut off power to residential areas along the riverbank for people’s safety.

“Some residential buildings, shops and underground garages along the river bank were flooded. However, many electrical appliances were not disconnected when residents were evacuated. To ensure people’s safety, we took the emergency measure of temporarily cutting off the power supply,” said Luo Xinzhu, an employee at the company’s Liuzhou branch.

Statistics from the provincial emergency relief office of Guangxi on Thursday showed that 431,000 people in Guangxi had been affected by the floods, while 36,150 hectares of farmland had been inundated.

Guangdong has also suffered severe flooding this month. Persistent rainfall has soaked mountainous areas. By Wednesday evening, seven rivers in Guangdong were still above the flood warning level. The provincial observatory predicted that the rain was likely to ease in most parts of Guangdong after Thursday. 

In Meizhou, dramatic rescues unfolded on Tuesday. An elderly woman trapped for over 40 hours in her collapsed home in Shizai Village was pulled to safety, and another resident was rescued after he clung to a lamppost as floodwaters engulfed his home.

Meizhou has seen extensive preparations and evacuations, according to Long Qizhen, Party chief of Wengui Village in Meizhou. Over 67,000 residents have been relocated from flood-hit areas.

“We never expected to be struck by such a catastrophic flood that has damaged so many houses in the village,” Long said. “Fortunately, we made advance preparations, and all the villagers have been relocated.”
Helicopters have been busy transporting the injured and distributing disaster relief supplies to flood-hit areas, Long added.

Southern Power Grid announced on Wednesday that electricity had been restored by Tuesday night to more than 80% of the households that experienced blackouts in Guangdong. Some 388,000 households lost power when floods struck the province following heavy rainstorms that have occurred. Many electrical supply facilities were destroyed or damaged. The power company dispatched several thousand repair personnel, more than 1,000 vehicles and 34 emergency power generation vehicles to affected areas.
In the city of Huangshan in East China’s Anhui Province, some 2,110 residents had been relocated as of 9 a.m. Thursday due to heavy rains, according to the local flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Meanwhile, in the flood-ravaged province of Fujian in eastern China, heavy rains have affected 586,500 people in 40 counties in Fujian, where 37,000 hectares of crops have been inundated. Seven rivers in the province were overflowing.
Local authorities in Fujian have launched a full-scale rescue operation, including evacuating victims, repairing flooded roads, removing mud and draining waterlogged areas.

After a week of rain, the area has been plagued by problems such as collapsed roads, downed trees, debris and geological disasters. In Longyan city, teachers and volunteers accompanied candidates as they walked along rural roads to exam venues.

Shenzhendaily