Deadly rainstorms force mass evacuations in central and east China

World Today

Deadly rainstorms force mass evacuations in central and east China

At least 99 people have been killed and 20 missing since the start of China’s rainy season, with heavy flooding in central and east China forcing tens of thousands to evacuate.

A yellow alert, the third highest, was issued for provinces including Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang on Sunday, and a blue alert (4th) for Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, and the city of Shanghai two days prior.

In Sichuan Province alone, 59,900 people have been evacuated to date and approximately 43,000 houses collapsed.

The incessant rain has led to flooding in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including Taihu Lake, where water levels continue to rise. One of the affected cities is Nanjing, where water levels are more than a meter high in some areas.

In the neighboring Changzhou City, the water is up to two meters deep, with around 10,000 residents forced to evacuate. All schools were ordered to suspend classes until Wednesday.

The average death toll during the rainy season in China is typically quite high. According to official data by People’s Daily, this year there have been 65 percent fewer deaths than the current annual average.