Authorities in central and southwest China have intensified response efforts by issuing warnings and carrying out timely and orderly transfers of affected residents amid continuous heavy downpours.
Persistent downpours in Tanghe County of central China's Henan Province, flooded a local nursing home on Thursday, trapping many elderly residents.
Rescue workers used rubber boats to navigate deep floods that prevented fire trucks from reaching the scene. The rescue efforts were further complicated by the limited mobility of elderly residents.
Rescue workers carried them downstairs and transferred them onto rubber boats in groups. By 19:45 Thursday, all 254 trapped individuals had been successfully evacuated.
Authorities in Guangyuan City in southwest China's Sichuan Province have taken prompt measures to evacuate residents from low-lying areas and provided updates on weather, flooding, and geological hazards, as torrential rain that began on Tuesday led to a sharp rise in river levels.
As of 10:00 on Thursday, local authorities had issued over 700 warnings for rainstorms, mudslides, landslides, and floods via the emergency broadcast system, evacuated a total of 5,054 people and relocated 559 residents.
Heavy downpours hit Leshan City in Sichuan from 08:00 Wednesday to 08:00 Thursday, causing water levels to surge and flood some streets on Thursday morning. Officials and residents have worked together in rescue operations to reduce disaster losses.
Upon receiving a red alert for rainstorm on Wednesday night, local authorities promptly informed residents and organized evacuations. Up to now, a total of 9,478 people in Leshan have been successfully evacuated.
Flood-stranded residents transferred in rain-battered central, southwest China
