Heavy rains bring floods to S. China

Xiamen, Fujian province, launched a top-level emergency response after part of the city was flooded by a heavy rainstorm on Monday, with some classes suspended and many flights affected, the city’s flood control authorities said.

The intense rain — the product of warm and humid air flow — deluged the coastal city from 10 am to 1 pm on Monday, with precipitation of up to 21 centimeters in some places, the Xiamen Meteorological Bureau said.

Some schools closed in the afternoon because of the intense rain, including Xiamen University, where part of the campus was flooded.

Chen Lingjing, a student at the university, said, “After the rain, water in some classrooms reached the tops of the desks. Power was cut off in some buildings.”

“The rain lightened after 2 pm. The accumulated water receded, and power was back soon,” Chen told China Daily.

By 2 pm, a total of 118 flights at the Xiamen airport had been affected, including five cancellations and 15 flight diversions at Fuzhou airport, the meteorological bureau said.

From Monday night to Tuesday night, heavy rains are possible in southern China, including parts of Fujian, Guangdong provinces, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, with precipitation of 10 to 13 cm in some areas, according to the National Meteorological Center.

LIAO XIAOKUN / FOR CHINA DAILY Firefighters evacuate a stranded resident using a paddleboard in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Monday. Many places along the coast of southeastern China were hit by heavy rain, flooding some places.