Rescue forces have reached villages and towns in many parts of eastern and southern China, where continuous heavy rains have triggered floods that have claimed lives, stranded people, damaged crops, and cut off roads.
As of late Friday, torrential rains have resulted in the loss of at least two lives in east China's Anhui Province.
On Thursday, local rescue forces in Jixi County in Xuancheng City of Anhui Province received an emergency call that over a dozen households were submerged by floodwaters and required immediate evacuation. After two hours of efforts, the rescue teams successfully relocated six stranded villagers, including two children, to safe areas.
The city of Huangshan in Anhui, where the casualties were reported and home to the renowned Huangshan Mountain, raised the emergency response levels for flood control twice on Thursday from Level IV to Level III, and to Level II.
In Tangkou Town, Huangshan City, rapidly rising river waters overflowed the riverbanks, blocking roads and leaving multiple households of villagers stranded in their homes. Firefighters employed ropes, ladders, and other tools to safely escort all the trapped residents to safe locations.
Shexian, another county in Huangshan has seen the weather clearing up on Friday. In a village called Tanshi, where flooding had reached significant depths, residents began the process of clearing mud and debris.
"We started our self-rescue efforts this morning. Neighbors and our village cadres all came to help. We've almost finished the cleanup at our place," said villager Hu Bo.
Currently, the supply of electricity and water has been restored in the urban areas of Shexian County.
As the rainfall started to wind down, post-flood work, including disinfecting public areas, clearing debris from roads, maintaining power supply, is now underway in various parts of the city in an orderly manner.
Neighboring Zhejiang Province has also been actively responding to the heavy rainfall. More than 48 hours of continuous precipitation led to severe mountain floods in Chun'an County, making it one of the areas hit hardest by the weather.
Local authorities reported that 13 townships were affected, with over 2,000 people evacuated. A total of 26 roads were disrupted, and over 700 hectares of crops were damaged.
The intense rainfall had subsided by Thursday evening. Currently, the local government is organizing villagers to undertake post-disaster reconstruction efforts.
East China provinces ramp up rescue efforts to mitigate heavy rainfall devastation
