Heavy Rain Hits China's Flood-Stricken Guizhou for Second Time in a Week
Located at the confluence of three rivers and home to 300,000 residents, Rongjiang was inundated earlier this week by record downpours that left six dead and forced more than 80,000 people to flee their homes. The amount of rain that fell over 72 hours was double the city's average for June.
In response to the new round of flooding, authorities raised the city's flood emergency response level to the highest level on Saturday.
The benchmark hydrological station on one of the rivers estimated that the peak water level would hit 253.50 metres (832 ft) at around 5 p.m. (0900 GMT), exceeding the safety threshold by 2 metres, state broadcaster CCTV said.
More than 40,000 residents in Rongjiang had been urgently evacuated as of 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Saturday, according to the state broadcaster.
Earlier this week, the peak water level reached 256.7 metres, the highest since 1954, the Guizhou provincial government said in a statement to Reuters on Friday, blaming 'the extreme climate' for the flooding.
The floods in southwest China are set to hit local economies.
Rongjiang was removed from the national poverty list in 2020. It then saw an unexpected tourism boom after a local soccer league nicknamed 'Village Super League' became a social media sensation, attracting thousands of fans and tourists. On Tuesday, the soccer pitch was up to seven metres under water.
China has battled with summer floods for millennia, but some scientists say climate change is resulting in heavier and more frequent rain. Massive flooding could set off unforeseen 'black swan' events with dire consequences, such as dam collapses, Chinese officials say.
In southern China over the past two days, 13 major rivers in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hainan were hit by storms and had risen above their warning levels, CCTV reported, citing the Ministry of Water Resources on Saturday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Greece Battles Wildfire on Crete for a Third Day as Temperatures Rise
ATHENS, July 4 (Reuters) – Gale force wind gusts complicated efforts on Friday to contain wildfires on Crete that have razed forests and olive groves and forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. Around 130 firefighters, 48 vehicles and six helicopters were deployed on the third day of the effort, with the wind and dry conditions raising the risk that blazes might restart in areas of the island where they had already been contained. In Greece's capital Athens, about 800 people were evacuated from the suburb of Koropi where more than 120 firefighters battled a blaze supported by eight airplanes and eight helicopters, a fire brigade spokesperson said. The fires in Crete and in Athens come as much of Europe swelters in an early summer heatwave, which officials have linked to at least eight deaths on the continent. The blazes in Crete, which broke out in a village about 16 km (10 miles) east of Ierapetra on Wednesday, have consumed swathes of agricultural land in the southeastern corner of the island, leaving dead animals and scorched farmhouses. Olive farmer Giorgos Poulis was sorting out destroyed farming equipment beside his burned-out truck. 'The damage is incalculable in every way, from water drilling equipment, pipes, tires, cars, the cement mixer,' he said, gesturing around him. George Tzarakis, head of Hoteliers of Ierapetra and southeastern Crete, told Reuters most of the 3,500 tourists who had been evacuated were returning to their hotels. Tourism is a key earner in Crete, the largest island in Greece, and local hoteliers were concerned about future bookings as the fire hit at the start of the peak summer holiday season. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) on Friday, the Greek weather service said. In another Athens suburb, Pikermi, some 148 firefighters battled a fire that broke out on Thursday, threatening many homes, cutting power and prompting authorities to move more than 300 people to safety. The fire was contained but not extinguished, the fire brigade official said. In Italy, the health ministry put 20 of the 27 cities it monitors for heatwaves on red alert on Friday. RAI public broadcaster said temperatures would go as high as 38 C in Florence and 37 C in Rome, Bologna and Perugia. Spain's Health Ministry estimates that 341 deaths have been attributable to heat-related illnesses since the beginning of June, as the country grapples with soaring temperatures. With the heat comes a higher risk of wildfires. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed 'a wildfire hotspot' by scientists – with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach. 'With multiple heatwaves and fire risks expected through September, there is an urgent need to shift from reactive response to proactive preparedness,' the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said this week.
Nikkei Asia
2 days ago
- Nikkei Asia
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes southwestern Japan
Akuseki is part of the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima prefecture, southwestern Japan. © Kyodo TOKYO (Reuters) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 hit a remote island in southwestern Japan on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The earthquake's epicenter was off the coast of the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima prefecture nearly 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from Tokyo, the agency said, adding that a tsunami warning had not been issued. The quake hit at a depth of 20 km (12 miles), giving it a seismic intensity of '6 lower' on Japan's 1-7 scale on Akuseki Island, the agency said. Akuseki has a population of 89. The intensity is classified as a level that makes it "difficult to remain standing", according to the agency. More than 1,000 tremors with a seismic intensity of 1 or above on the Japanese scale have been detected around the island chain between June 21 and July 3, the agency said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
6 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Heavy Rain Hits China's Flood-Stricken Guizhou for Second Time in a Week
SHANGHAI, June 28 (Reuters) – Heavy rain struck China's southwestern Guizhou province again on Saturday, half-submerging the already flood-stricken riverside city of Rongjiang for a second time this week and prompting the evacuation of residents to higher ground. Located at the confluence of three rivers and home to 300,000 residents, Rongjiang was inundated earlier this week by record downpours that left six dead and forced more than 80,000 people to flee their homes. The amount of rain that fell over 72 hours was double the city's average for June. In response to the new round of flooding, authorities raised the city's flood emergency response level to the highest level on Saturday. The benchmark hydrological station on one of the rivers estimated that the peak water level would hit 253.50 metres (832 ft) at around 5 p.m. (0900 GMT), exceeding the safety threshold by 2 metres, state broadcaster CCTV said. More than 40,000 residents in Rongjiang had been urgently evacuated as of 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Saturday, according to the state broadcaster. Earlier this week, the peak water level reached 256.7 metres, the highest since 1954, the Guizhou provincial government said in a statement to Reuters on Friday, blaming 'the extreme climate' for the flooding. The floods in southwest China are set to hit local economies. Rongjiang was removed from the national poverty list in 2020. It then saw an unexpected tourism boom after a local soccer league nicknamed 'Village Super League' became a social media sensation, attracting thousands of fans and tourists. On Tuesday, the soccer pitch was up to seven metres under water. China has battled with summer floods for millennia, but some scientists say climate change is resulting in heavier and more frequent rain. Massive flooding could set off unforeseen 'black swan' events with dire consequences, such as dam collapses, Chinese officials say. In southern China over the past two days, 13 major rivers in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hainan were hit by storms and had risen above their warning levels, CCTV reported, citing the Ministry of Water Resources on Saturday.
