Heavy Rain Continues in the South, More Than 730,000 People Affected in Hunan
Original headline: Heavy Rain Continues in the South, More Than 730,000 People Affected in Hunan
Shigu Academy in Hengyang, Hunan, surrounded by floodwaters, photographed on April 18. According to the Hunan Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, since mid-April, Hunan Province has experienced widespread heavy rainfall, with rainstorms concentrated in areas north of central Hunan and in parts of southern Hunan, causing localized flooding. Xinhua News Agency release (Photo by Peng Bin)
On the 18th, heavy rain continued in the south. Preliminary statistics on the disaster in Hunan show that as of the 18th, this round of severe convective weather had affected 734,000 people and killed 6 in the province; the upper and middle reaches of the Gan River experienced above-warning floods, and water levels at major stations were still rising.
The Hunan Provincial Hydrology Bureau issued a yellow flood warning that day, stating that floods would soon occur in the middle and upper reaches of the Xiang River. Preliminary local disaster statistics show that as of the 18th, 734,000 people in Hunan Province had been affected and 6 had died; high winds and hail caused 1,336 houses to collapse, and some buildings collapsing caused deaths. Before and after the disaster, cadres and residents in the affected areas carried out flood fighting and disaster relief, 11,000 people were urgently relocated, and 7,400 people still need emergency livelihood assistance.
Egg-sized hail pelted down from the sky, punching through the roofs of civilian houses and destroying young crops, worsening the disaster in some parts of Hunan Province after the flooding.
On the 18th, a reporter learned from the Hunan Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters that heavy precipitation had brought hail, high winds and other severe convective weather to Yongzhou, Huaihua, Chenzhou and other places in Hunan Province.
In some areas, the hail lasted about 10 minutes, causing severe damage to crops such as flue-cured tobacco, vegetables and fruit, and punching through the roofs of some tile-roofed houses.
Rainfall in Hunan Province is still continuing. The Hunan Provincial Hydrology Bureau issued a yellow flood warning, noting that floods exceeding the warning level will occur in the Laobutou and Guiyang reaches in the middle and upper reaches of the main stream of the Xiang River.
Starting on the afternoon of the 17th, southern Jiangxi was hit by heavy rainfall, accompanied by high winds, hail, thunderstorms and other severe convective weather. Affected by the heavy rainfall, the upper and middle reaches of the Gan River experienced above-warning floods, and water levels at major stations were still continuing to rise; the Jiangxi Provincial Hydrology Bureau issued a blue flood warning on the 18th.
According to monitoring by the Jiangxi Provincial Hydrology Bureau, the average rainfall in Ganzhou City on the 17th was 64 mm, with the maximum point rainfall of 139 mm at the Lintang station in Longnan County, followed by 118 mm at the Shangcun station in Anyuan County.
At 12:45 noon on the 17th, hail suddenly fell in Zhanggong District, Nankang District, Ruijin City, Ganxian County, Shangyou, Xinfeng and other places in Ganzhou City. The hail was as large as eggs, and the whole process lasted about 2 minutes.
In Anyuan County, which was battered by torrential rain, river water levels rose sharply, urban waterlogging was severe, roads were submerged and homes were flooded. Starting at 21:00 on the 17th, the Anyuan County Public Security Fire Brigade received a series of emergency calls, with a large number of residents trapped by floodwaters and waiting for rescue.
In Zone 2 of the Forestry Residential Community in Anyuan County, because the water level in the river opposite the community kept rising, the floodwater that rushed into residents' homes had already risen above their knees. Firefighters went door to door to evacuate people, moving 21 trapped residents to a safe area.
At present, rainfall across Jiangxi Province has temporarily paused. But according to the latest weather forecast, starting on the 20th, Jiangxi will see another round of heavy rainfall from north to south. (Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 18 dispatch Reporters Zhou Nan and Wu Zhonghao)
The waterside platform of the Shigu Academy scenic area in Hengyang, Hunan, surrounded by floodwaters, photographed on April 18. According to the Hunan Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, since mid-April, Hunan Province has experienced widespread heavy rainfall, with rainstorms concentrated in areas north of central Hunan and in parts of southern Hunan, causing localized flooding. Xinhua News Agency release (Photo by Peng Bin)
April 18, 2016, in a residential community in the urban area of Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, many large trees were uprooted and fell to the ground after being hit by fierce winds and rainstorms. Image source: cfp