Readying Beijing for more rain
Up to 200mm of rain could hit parts of Beijing over a six-hour period from midday, weather forecasters warned yesterday.
The warning comes as authorities rush to reinforce ageing flood defences, fine-tune weather forecasts and update evacuation plans amid reports of bodies being pulled from raging flood waters across the country, including at least three at a flooded wellness camp in Hebei province.
At least 44 people died in Beijing after heavy rains from July 23 to 29.
Most of the dead were people unexpectedly trapped by rapidly rising waters at a nursing home in Miyun district on the city's northeastern outskirts.
The fatalities led authorities to admit to shortcomings in their contingency plans for extreme weather.
By noon yesterday, Beijing had placed all of its 16 districts on the highest level of preparedness, in the first citywide state of readiness since July 28, shutting parts of the Great Wall and other outdoor leisure venues and halting operations of below-ground businesses.
The risk of flash floods and landslides is 'extremely high', authorities said.
In the summer of 2012, 79 people died in Beijing in the city's deadliest flooding in living memory.
Fangshan district was the worst-hit, with one resident reporting a rise in floodwaters of 1.3m in just 10 minutes.
As of Saturday, torrential rains that swept through 'Beijing Valley', a riverside wellness retreat in the Hebei city of Chengde adjacent to Beijing, had claimed three lives, with four still missing, China's state news agency Xinhua reported.
Around 40 people had gathered on July 27 for an event at the site, where organisers directed them into tents pitched on low-lying land next to a river bend, Caixin Media reported.
By 2am the next morning, floodwaters had risen to knee height, forcing attendees to scramble towards the camp's only exit.
In China's southern Guangdong province over the weekend, the bodies of five people were recovered after a large-scale search operation involving more than 1,300 rescuers.
The five people, who went missing on Friday night, were 'swept away by water' following heavy rainfall in recent days, Xinhua reported on Sunday. — Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Japan sets record temperatures, worries mount over rice crops
Visitors holding parasols walk along Nakamise street at the Asakusa district, a popular sightseeing spot, as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures due to a heatwave, in Tokyo, Japan August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Issei Kato TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops. The eastern city of Isesaki, in Gunma prefecture, set the record to surpass the previous high of 41.2 degrees Celsius marked last week in the western city of Tamba in Hyogo prefecture, the country's meteorological agency said. So far this summer, more than 53,000 people have been taken to hospital for heat stroke, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Average temperatures across Japan have continued to climb after marking a record high in July for the third year in a row, while the northeastern region along the Sea of Japan saw critically low levels of rainfall, raising concerns over the rice harvest. High temperatures have caused a proliferation of stink bugs in some rice-growing areas, even as the government is set to officially adopt a new policy on Tuesday of increased rice production to prevent future shortages. "We need to act with speed and a sense of crisis to prevent damage" from high temperatures, Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a press conference. The government will offer support for pest control and measures to tackle drought, he said. Extreme heat in 2023 had damaged the quality of rice, causing an acute shortage last year that was exacerbated by the government's misreading of supply and demand. That led to historically high prices of the all-important staple food, causing a national crisis. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Beijing lifts red rain alert but warns of floods, landslides after evacuating over 82,000
BEIJING, Aug 5 — Beijing lifted a severe weather alert today but warned residents to stay vigilant against natural disasters after authorities evacuated more than 82,000 people over fears of deadly floods in the Chinese capital. The municipal weather office had imposed a red rainstorm warning—the highest in a four-tier system—yesterday, forecasting heavy downpours until this morning. The office lifted the alert early this morning, saying in a social media statement that the weather system had weakened as it drifted eastwards. But it continued to warn of isolated downpours across outlying parts of the city, adding that people 'must not let up after strong rains have passed' as landslides or other disasters may follow. Authorities evacuated over 82,000 people at risk from heavy rainfall as of Monday evening, state news agency Xinhua said, citing the city's flood control headquarters. It was unclear when they may return. Officials warned of flooding risks in the northeastern suburb of Miyun—the hardest hit by the recent deluge—as well as southwestern Fangshan, western Mentougou and northern Huairou. In Miyun, where dozens died last week, most of the recent floodwater had receded on Tuesday—leaving behind a trail of debris including tree branches and piles of bricks. AFP reporters saw dented cars, toppled tractors and household items like strollers and luggages strewn across the muddy ground. Twisted metal railings and slanted utility poles still lined the roadside as workers in neon yellow vests and wearing hard hats worked to clear the wreckage. Nearby, trees had been uprooted, lying in a river gushing with murky brown water. Last week, floods in Beijing's northern suburbs killed at least 44 people and left nine missing, according to official figures. Residents of flood-hit areas told AFP journalists they had been surprised at the speed with which the rushing water had inundated homes and villages. The devastation prompted a local official to make a rare admission that there had been 'gaps' in disaster readiness. 'Our knowledge of extreme weather was lacking,' Yu Weiguo, the district's ruling Communist Party boss, said. Restoring order At a meeting on Monday, the municipal government stressed the need to 'restore the normal order of life and production in post-disaster areas as quickly as possible'. China's public security ministry also warned people to be on guard against 'rumours', including exaggerating the extent of natural disasters to create panic, state broadcaster CCTV said on Tuesday. China has been lashed by heavy rains in recent weeks, with heavy flooding in the north followed by intense precipitation along the southern coast. Parts of the southern city of Hong Kong were brought to a standstill on Tuesday by flooding caused by heavy rains, after the highest-tier rainstorm warning was issued for the fourth time in eight days. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060. — AFP
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Hong Kong issues highest weather warning, as rains shut schools, courts and hospital wards
HONG KONG: Blackened skies unleashed torrential rains on Hong Kong and the high-tech cities surrounding south China's Pearl River Delta on Tuesday, shutting hospitals, schools and law courts, and turning the Asian financial centre's many staircases into waterfalls. Around 10,000 lightning flashes lit up Hong Kong's skies between 6am (2200 GMT) and 6.59am, according to the city's weather authorities, as up to 90mm (3.5 inches) of rain per hour continued to drench the city and neighbouring Guangdong province. Videos showed torrents of water cascading down steep hillsides in the former British colony, breaking into white-water streams as they rushed down staircases linking Hong Kong's multi-tiered cityscape. The deluge prompted the weather bureau to extend its highest "black" rainstorm warning until 3pm. The water had risen to ankle-height outside Hong Kong's largest hospital, as medical authorities announced they would be closing clinics across the city due to the downpour. Extreme rainfall and catastrophic flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, pose mounting challenges for officials in mainland China, sweeping people to their deaths, displacing thousands, and threatening billions of dollars in economic losses. The storms follow deadly flash floods in Southern China over the weekend, which left five dead in Guangdong province and prompted a large-scale search operation involving over 1,300 rescuers. As of Tuesday morning, four rivers in the province had risen to such a height that were at risk of bursting their banks, China's state broadcaster CCTV reported. Hong Kong, Guangdong Province, and Macau - which issued a Red rain warning - form the backbone of Chinese President Xi Jinping's flagship Greater Bay Area initiative, aimed at fusing Hong Kong's financial firepower with Guangdong's manufacturing and technological strength. Airports across the region reported cancellation rates of around 20 per cent on Tuesday, according to data from Flightmaster, while speed limits on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai Macau Bridge - a flagship GBA infrastructure project - were lowered due to poor visibility. Hong Kong's airport has maintained normal operations throughout but said some flights had been delayed and passengers were advised to head to the airport only after their flight time was confirmed. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange remains open, having changed its policy to continue trading whatever the weather late last year, but the judiciary announced that courts, tribunals and register offices would remain shut until at least two hours after the 'black' rainstorm alert was cancelled. "Persistent rainstorm will cause serious road flooding and traffic congestion. Members of the public are advised to take shelter in a safe place," the Hong Kong Observatory said in a bulletin on its website. Hong Kong typically receives an annual average of 2,200mm of rainfall, more than half of which usually falls from June through August. But it is not all doom and gloom.
