People in Rongjiang and Congjiang, two riverside counties in southwest China's Guizhou Province, are continuing to deal with the aftermath of severe flooding, after persistent downpours caused multiple local rivers to burst their banks and wreaked havoc on residential communities on Tuesday.
As of 14:30 on Tuesday, 48,900 people and 32,000 people had been temporarily evacuated in Rongjiang and Congjiang, respectively, and a highest-level flood control emergency response was activated in both counties, which are under the administration of the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture.
As the floodwaters started to recede on Wednesday, locals in the two counties started to pick up the pieces, with the efforts focused on clearing up slit and debris, draining water from low-lying areas, restoring power supplies, preventing water-borne diseases, and providing shelters to the evacuees before their homes are deemed safe for living.
In Rongjiang County, people scrambled to pump water out of underground parking lots, shopping areas and other public places in the densely populated old urban district, while crews and large machinery were also brought in to remove slit from a seriously flooded local football field, on Wednesday afternoon. 。
Meanwhile in Congjiang, crews from several other counties in Qiandongnan have joined in the local efforts to repair the damaged power systems in some low-lying areas.
Teams consisting of soldiers and volunteers are also working on restoring road traffic by clearing up slit, tree branches and other debris, while a dedicated crew is carrying out disinfection work to prevent the spread of diseases.
The county's major markets are now back in business and large stores in the urban area are well stocked with daily necessities.
"We are able to source meat products as usual since the local slaughterhouses are in normal operations. The meat prices have remained stable like they did before the flood," He Qilin, a vendor at a local farmers' market, told China Central Television (CCTV) in an interview on Thursday.
Post-flood recovery efforts continue in Guizhou
