Huaiji County in south China’s Guangdong Province is challenged by its worst flooding in a century, with houses submerged, roads destroyed, and power cut, amid torrential rainfall triggered by Typhoon Wutip.
The Huaiji hydrometric station recorded a peak water level of 55.22 meters on Wednesday morning, 5.22 meters above the warning level of 50 meters, marking the highest flood level since the station was established.
About 180,000 residents in the county have been affected by the flood. Over 68,000 residents have been evacuated to safer areas.
Economic losses are already estimated at over 41 million yuan (about 5.71 million U.S. dollars).
Many businesspeople said they suffered great loss.
"We moved some goods to the attic as much as possible. Business is already hard, the flood didn’t help," said Mo Rusheng, who runs a store with his family.
"The water rose so soon, we just ran. I’m looking at tens of thousands in losses. I run a tiny bun shop. All of my machines have been damaged," said Chen Xiaoyan.
More than 10,000 responders at both provincial and local levels have been mobilized to clear debris, repair roads, and restore critical infrastructure.
Once-in-a-century flooding swamps south China's Huaiji County
