Heavy rainfall, storms and medium-intensity hurricanes have hit the province of Guangdong, in southern China, since April 18, leaving a trail of flooding, damage and the displacement of more than 100,000 people. The Chinese central meteorological agency has recognized that rainfall has broken historical daily records during April, exceeding 300 mm (liters per square meter) at 17 observation stations.
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This Tuesday, April 23, China declared the maximum alert – which will last until the night – after torrential rains and storms hit the province of Guangdong, in the south of the country, since April 18, causing at least four deaths, 11 missing persons and the displacement of more than 110,000 citizens due to flooding, landslides and overflowing rivers and canals, according to China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.
Cities such as Yingde, Shaoguan, Qingyuan, Zhaoqing and Jiangmen and the provincial capital, Guangzhou, were flooded by the unusual rainfall, while teams of rescuers and emergency workers traveled on rafts and in helicopters over extensive areas of avenues and streets in residential and commercial areas. looking for residents, older adults and people stranded or trapped in landslides in peri-urban and rural areas.
Images broadcast on local television showed dozens of rescuers in inflatable boats sailing through the waters during rescue, evacuation and delivery of bags with water and food to those affected.
Across Guangdong province, authorities had to relocate more than 110,000 people, of which 12,256 have been urgently resettled due to the floods. Another 25,800 were admitted to emergency shelters, according to the local Xinhua agency, which cited data from the provincial government.
At least 41 emergency boats began operations on Monday, April 22, in Yingde alone, in various areas of the city where – according to various reports – there are some 38,000 people stuck in areas submerged by water and overflowing rivers and canals.
Rescue teams are also advancing the cleaning of debris and damage caused by the water, with specialized equipment and backhoes to remove mud and debris. Other teams had to travel on foot to areas that were difficult to access. The Army also intervened and participated in the work to clear roads.
Record rainfall
On Monday, local authorities in the provincial capital, Guangzhou, said meteorological authorities had documented accumulated rainfall of 60.9 centimeters (24 inches) in April: the largest monthly amount since records began in 1959, the AP said.
Local agencies reported that 36 homes had collapsed, while another 48 were seriously damaged. The damages and economic losses amount to almost 140.6 million yuan (19.4 million dollars or 18.2 million euros), according to EFE.
China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Sunday raised the emergency response level for flooding in southern China's Guangdong Province, as rainfall-induced flooding has pushed water levels in many rivers above the warning line.
https://t.co/NbrX6I2nTo pic.twitter.com/r2BBmMLeca— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) April 22, 2024
China raises level of emergency response to floods in southern Guangdong province
The intense rains also caused rivers in the region to swell, with 38 hydrological stations in 24 rivers in the province recording water levels that exceed the alert threshold.
“In a total of 17 national meteorological observation stations in Guangdong and Guangxi, historical records of maximum daily rainfall have been broken so far in April,” he indicated in a statement from the China Central Meteorological Agency on Monday, April 22.
The agency — which extended an alert to other regions such as Guangxi and Fujian — also explained that, although rainfall is expected to weaken starting Tuesday, April 23, it is expected to persist in some regions over the next few days.
With information from Reuters, AP and EFE
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