China raises national alert level as flooding kills more than 100
CHINA raised its national emergency response level yesterday as days of torrential rain triggered flooding across the country, killing more than 100 people.
State television reported the Chinese government’s office for flood control raised the response level to III from IV on its four-tier scale, and said 13,117 emergency response and rescue staff had been deployed to deal with the floods.
At least 3,200 rescue operations have been carried out during the flood season nationwide and rescued over 6,400 people so far.
The latest official figures put the number of people dead or missing nationwide at 121, while the emergency ministry estimated economic losses to be in excess of 40 billion yuan (US$5.7 billion).
Guizhou, Anhui, Hunan and Hubei provinces were expected to record 250-280 millimeters of rain yesterday, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
In the central city of Wuhan, a recordbreaking 426 millimeters of rain fell on Sunday, and authorities were using giant pumps to remove water from flooded roads.
Sections of the Yangtze River, China’s longest waterway, are swelling above flood warning levels in its middle and lower reaches amid continuous heavy rains.
Water at several hydrological stations of the Yangtze River, including those in
Lianhuatang, Jianli, Jiujiang, and Nanjing, all rose above warning levels on Monday.
As rain continues, the river water levels are expected to rise further, up to one meter above the warning levels, in the coming days.
From Monday to tomorrow, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are forecast to be lashed by rainstorms.
Rainfall is expected to be between 100 mm and 200 mm.
The Yangtze River water resources commission on Monday continued to issue a yellow alert for flooding.
More rains are on the way as China’s national observatory yesterday issued an orange alert for rainstorms, as heavy downpours are forecast to hit vast stretches of the country.
From last night to tonight, heavy rain and rainstorms are expected in Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, among other regions, the National Meteorological Center said.
It warned that some areas of Hubei, Jiangxi and Anhui will experience up to 280 mm of daily rainfall.
China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
The center advised local authorities to remain alert for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides.
And it recommended halting outdoor operations in hazardous areas. Since June, continuous downpours have lashed large parts of southern China.
And and the waters of many rivers in the affected regions exceeded warning levels.
The Ministry of Water Resources has called for all-out efforts to prevent floods.
And it has dispatched teams to affected areas to facilitate flood prevention and control.
(Agencies)