Heavy rain along with thunderstorms and hail pummeled parts of central China's Hunan Province on Monday, flooding low-lying areas, causing damage to houses, and forcing many residents to be evacuated.
Among the worst affected areas was the province's Mayang Miao Autonomous County, which saw almost an entire month's worth of rain in the space of just 12 hours, with an average rainfall of 77 mm falling from 20:00 Monday to 08:00 Tuesday.
According to local emergency management authorities, more than 200 houses had sustained varying degrees of damage in the deluge, while around 210 residents were relocated to safer areas.
While the rain has since stopped in the county, authorities are actively working to restore infrastructure and clear debris to help restore order and allow residents to return as quickly as possible.
Local authorities in other parts of Hunan acted swiftly to evacuate affected residents and clear flooded roads as the severe weather hit.
In the Yuanling County of Huaihua City, over 540 people from areas deemed most at-risk were evacuated after local authorities initiated an emergency response for flooding on Monday evening. No casualties have been reported so far.
Meanwhile, in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, the heavy rainfall caused over 10 centimeters of floodwater to accumulate in low-lying areas of the Huayuan County, forcing over 30 residents to be relocated in the county.
Local authorities quickly mobilized to clear key routes and alleviate the flooding in the worst-hit areas, with traffic resuming on most main roads as of 23:00 Monday.
Residents evacuated, homes damaged after heavy rainstorms hit Hunan
