Thousands were Evacuated from the Devastating Floods in China

Guangdong, the most populous province in China, had severe flooding due to several days of torrential rain, prompting authorities to evacuate about 60,000 residents from their homes.

There have been eleven reported missing persons and no confirmed casualties.

Videos posted online and by state media depict vast areas of land submerged under the floodwaters, with rescuers transporting people in waist-deep water on lifeboats.

A number of significant rivers have overflowed, and authorities are keeping a careful eye on the amounts of “dangerously high” water.

On Monday morning, they had issued a warning that a river in northern Guangdong might reach a “once in 100 years” peak; however, by midday, this had not happened.

The low-lying Pearl River delta, which includes a large portion of Guangdong, is vulnerable to flooding from storm surges, sea level rise, and watershed floods.

The delta is one of China’s most populous areas and a significant hub for manufacturing, with 127 million people living in Guangdong alone.

Among the worst affected were the provincial capital Guangzhou and the smaller cities of Heyuan and Shaoguan.

Approximately 1.16 million homes in the province lost power during the course of the weekend, but by Sunday night, 80% of them got it back.

Continuous rain has caused flight cancellations and delays at Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport, and at least three cities have ordered the closure of their schools.

Authorities in the province estimate that dozens of homes have either collapsed or suffered significant damage, resulting in a direct economic loss of roughly 140.6 million yuan ($19.8 million).

Online videos depict swift-moving torrents bringing down bridges and walls.

According to a Weibo user, her family hurriedly moved furniture upstairs from the first floor of their home. The user posted on Sunday night, saying, “The heavy rains have flooded half of the first storey of our home.” “I wonder if flooding would occur overnight in the second story as well. I feel powerless.”

On Weibo, another user posted, “Last night, while I was driving home, it rained like a waterfall for one and a half hours.” “There was no way I could see the road.”

China’s meteorological agency has issued a warning, stating that Guangdong and the coastal regions of neighboring Fujian will see heavy rainfall through at least Tuesday.

Beijing, Tianjin, and Heibei are among the other regions of the nation where “moderate to heavy” rain is predicted.

In July of last year, a succession of typhoons from the Pacific Ocean made landfall in China, resulting in intense rain and floods in Beijing, the country’s capital, and neighboring provinces like Hebei.

The Chinese capital saw its highest level of precipitation in 140 years that week.