Deadly floods have swept across southern and central China. The National Meteorological Administration noted that this cycle of rainfall is prolonged, extremely severe, and carries a high risk of natural disasters.
In Guangdong province, at least 47 people have died due to the extreme weather. Meizhou, a city with a population of about 3.8 million people, suffered from torrential rains last week that are described as a "once-in-a-century" event. As of June 23, around 9,000 households remained without electricity. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated.
On June 24, the Ministry of Water Resources released a report on the flood situation. Due to continuous rain from June 23 to June 24, 33 rivers in Jiangxi, Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Guizhou, and other regions experienced floods exceeding warning levels.
The flood situation in the Yangtze River basin is becoming increasingly serious.
On June 24 at 6:00 PM, the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a red meteorological warning for mountain floods. The highest risk areas are in the western part of Zhejiang province and the northeastern part of Jiangxi province. These areas require continuous monitoring, flood warnings, and evacuation of residents.
As of June 24, 85,000 people in Jiangxi province have been affected by floods and landslides, with 1,397 people evacuated. A total of 210 square miles of crops have been destroyed.
In Anhui province, a total of 24 counties and districts in 5 cities, including Huangshan and Xuancheng, have been affected by the disaster. The number of affected people has reached 511,000, with 64,000 people relocated. The area of damaged crops has reached 117 square miles.
On the same day, a heavy rainstorm hit Changsha in Hunan province. In just one hour, Changsha received 2.56 inches of rain, breaking the June hourly rainfall record.
As a result of this extreme rain, many homes and shops along the banks of the Guitang River were flooded up to half a story high. Numerous vehicles were submerged up to their roofs.
The Changsha railway station was flooded, and many local underground shopping malls and parking lots were overwhelmed by the floods. The Changsha metro was temporarily suspended.
Two restaurant employees in the Xiyuehui district reported that the water started rising around 9:00 AM, and by 11:00 AM, the entire first floor of the restaurant was flooded, forcing them to evacuate to safety. One employee said, "I waded through water up to my neck." Another person said, "I am 5.6 feet tall, and the water reached my chest."
In recent years, China has experienced extreme weather events. Northern provinces often suffer from severe droughts, while southern provinces are frequently hit by prolonged torrential rains causing floods. These are just a small fraction of the natural disasters occurring in the country. At a series of forums and conferences titled "Global Crisis," the global community has been warned that China is among the countries where life will become nearly impossible in the coming years. Learn more about the future of our planet and humanity.