South China suffers from heavy rainstorms

World Today

South China’s Guangxi and Fujian provinces have seen torrential rain over the past two days. Downpours brought mudslides to rural areas, making life difficult in the cities. CCTV America’s Nie Jia reports.

In the city of Sanming in Fujian, rising water levels turned one family’s house into an isolated island. Roads were destroyed, and firefighters had to use ropes to get around. Finally, after hours of rescue work, the firefighters were able to get the family off their house.

This was a story seen many times again in other low lying villages. Relocation for residents continued to Wednesday’s midnight, with the potential dangers of landslides on the increase.

The bad weather has also led to water logging in quite a few cities in Guangxi. Traffic was disrupted, and extra attention was needed for people trying to cross the road. Warning boards were set up at road sections, and civil engineering workers were deployed to ask people and small vehicles to change routes.

In Liuzhou city, a torrent of rain lasted for three hours on Tuesday, leading to traffic jams during the morning commute.

Sidewalks were used as temporary roads for vehicles, but that still led to a 400 meter (0.186 mile) line of cars. Shops along the street were blocked off as well.

The rural areas were more vulnerable to the bad weather. Dozens of houses were destroyed in the region, with over 2,000 hectares (20 square kilometers) of farmland destroyed.

Local weather authorities say the rain will continue throughout the week. Guangxi authorities said over 30,000 people have been affected, and nearly 100 houses collapsed.

Disaster relief efforts have been going on, and local police were deployed to help shore up the banks of rivers and fishing farms in the region. Re-locations are underway to help villagers adjust to their new situation.

South China is suffering from heavy rainstorm

South China's Guangxi and Fujian provinces have seen torrential rain over the past two days. Downpours brought mudslides to rural areas making life difficult in the cities. CCTV America’s Nie Jia reports.