Heavy rains lash parts of China, triggering floods and emergency alerts
BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Torrential rains have battered multiple parts of China, triggering road collapses, resident evacuations and heightened flood risks, as authorities raised emergency response levels and warned of further downpours.
In south China's Guangdong Province, heavy rainfall led to 54 road collapses and the evacuation of over 300 residents in the counties of Fengkai and Huaiji in Zhaoqing City over the weekend.
Rainfall peaked at 258.7 millimeters in the city's Nanfeng Township, according to meteorological data. Red alerts, the highest level for rainstorms, were issued in both counties on Sunday morning.
Emergency crews have been deployed to repair damaged roads, while local officials urged residents to remain vigilant against potential flash floods and landslides, with more rain forecast in the coming days.
Guangdong Province has activated a Level-IV emergency response in anticipation of torrential rain. Parts of coastal cities and counties in eastern Guangdong and the southern Pearl River Delta are expected to experience extraordinarily heavy downpours.
A working team has been sent to Guangdong to support local flood control efforts, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
In northwest China's Gansu Province, flood emergency responses were either upgraded or newly activated to Level-II in several areas, including Lanzhou City, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Dingxi City, and Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the second-highest level in China's four-tier system.
China's Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a red alert for potential mountain torrents on Sunday evening, warning of high flood risks in parts of Gansu between 8 p.m. Sunday and 8 p.m. Monday.
In Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a Level-III emergency response for rainstorms was launched at 8 p.m. Sunday after several cities, including the regional capital of Yinchuan, experienced hours of heavy rainfall. By Sunday night, local meteorological authorities had issued 97 alerts, including 20 for rainstorms. ■
