Over 3,000 people evacuated as heavy rain hits central China

World Today

In this Thursday, June 18, 2015 photo, government officials look at a road that collapsed due to flooding in Kaili city in southwestern China’s Guizhou province. (Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT

Torrential rains have forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 residents from 10 villages in Suining County in central China’s Hunan Province, local authorities said on Wednesday. The rainstorms lasted for six hours on Wednesday morning, causing landslides and washing out roads, houses, water works and power facilities.

“The road was washed out by the flood,” said a villager, who was repairing the road.

Heavy rain also destroyed more than 10 hectares of crops.

“The villagers know the evacuation procedure as we conducted flood prevention drills in the past. So far, there have no injuries, but the roads and paddy fields have been badly washed out,” said Liu Yuquan, deputy township head of Fengmu Village.

The Central Weather Station has forecast more heavy rain over the next three days in areas from south of the Yangtze River to southwest China’s Guizhou Province.


Torrential rains lash out on middle and southern areas of China
The heavy downpours that have been coming down over many provinces over the past weeks look set to continue. Weather authorities on Thursday raised the alert level from blue to yellow, the second highest for heavy rain. CCTV America’s Wu Haojun filed this report from China.