Nearly 10,000 evacuated in central China due to torrential rains

Torrential rains have triggered widespread flooding in China's central Guizhou province, forcing the evacuation of over 9,100 residents since the weekend. The deluge has impacted multiple areas, with the city of Duyun being particularly affected. Authorities in Duyun suspended classes and elevated the emergency response for flood control to Level II, the second-highest on a four-tier scale.

While no casualties have been reported thus far, the heavy rainfall has disrupted power supply in parts of the prefecture. Provincial meteorological data indicates that over 20 county-level areas experienced significant precipitation between Monday and Tuesday, with four locations receiving more than 200 millimeters of rain.

Chinese authorities had previously urged enhanced preventative measures against landslides, geological disasters, and urban flooding, anticipating continued heavy rains across various regions. These forecasts had already led to the activation of alert systems in several eastern and central provinces, including Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, and Guizhou, over the past weekend.

This situation follows a similar event last week, where over 36,000 people were evacuated in the southeastern province of Guangdong due to heavy rainfall. The current rains coincide with the annual 'Dragon Boat Festival' period, known for intense precipitation in southern China. China frequently experiences severe weather events during its summer monsoon season, including floods and landslides, particularly in its southern and central regions. Recent years have seen devastating incidents, such as the 2023 Beijing floods that claimed over 30 lives, and the 2021 Henan province floods, which resulted in more than 300 fatalities.