Several provinces in China were warned on Monday to expect torrential rain and flash floods over the next two days as incessant downpours wreak havoc on the country.
According to official media, over 3,000 people were evacuated in northwestern Hunan province over the weekend as torrential rain fell on Sangzhi, Shimen, and Yongshun counties, as well as Zhangjiajie City.
According to state broadcaster China Central Television, Sangzhi had the most rainfall this year, with 256 mm (10.07 inches) falling overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
It was the most extensive and widespread rain in Sangzhi since 1998, CCTV said.
China has been gripped by weeks of rains and floods amid an unusually wet summer. In late July, storms from Typhoon Dokusri caused record rains to hit China in over a decade, with Beijing experiencing its heaviest rainfall in 140 years.
China’s government has called for more precautions against flooding as Typhoon Saola now makes its way across the South China Sea, with forecasts expecting it to land in Guangdong province as early as this Friday.
China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management organised a video conference this past Saturday, warning that heavy rainfall in many parts of the country may cause geological disasters including mountain torrents and floods in some small and medium-sized rivers, state media People’s Daily reported.
China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management held a video conference on Saturday, warning that heavy rain in many parts of the country could cause geological disasters such as mountain torrents and floods in some small and medium-sized rivers, according to state media People’s Daily.
The route of Typhoon Saola is also undetermined, according to the China Meteorological Administration, but it will bring heavy rain to coastal areas like Fujian and Zhejiang provinces from Wednesday through Friday.
According to local media, Fujian has started an emergency reaction to Saola, ordering fishing vessels in some waters to return to nearby harbors and all workers on board to evacuate ashore by Wednesday midday.
