Torrential rains have battered south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guangdong Province over the past few days, causing mudslides and extensively flooding urban and rural areas, with local authorities busy organizing evacuation and relief operations.
As of 17:00 on Tuesday, Zhakou Town in Beihai City's Hepu County in Guangxi recorded a total rainfall of 404 millimeters.
Local officials at the township and village levels have swiftly started flood emergency measures, conducting assessments and relocating vulnerable individuals, including those in unsafe housing, elderly people living alone, and residents in low-lying areas. By 17:00 on Tuesday, a total of 253 people had been relocated in Hepu County.
At the same time, due to heavy rainfall, the water levels of rivers, including the Nankang River in Beihai's Nankang Town, exceeded warning levels on Tuesday. Some streets were flooded, and the flood inundated shops and residential buildings, trapping many people. Local firefighters used rubber boats to conduct door-to-door searches along the streets and transport trapped residents to temporary shelters.
In addition, Fangchenggang City also experienced heavy rainfall on Tuesday, resulting in water accumulation on some roads, which affected traffic.
Local authorities promptly organized personnel to the scene for drainage and remediation efforts. Once the rain subsided, staff immediately began clearing the roads and conducting disinfection and epidemic prevention work.
Guangdong raised its emergency flood response to Level II -- the second-highest level in China's four-tier system -- at 14:00 on Tuesday, after meteorological and hydrological forecasts warned of continued heavy rainfall and rising river levels.
Firefighters in Guangdong carried out multiple rescue operations on Tuesday as heavy rains triggered flash floods across several cities, leaving residents stranded in rising waters.
Shenzhen City in Guangdong issued a red alert for rainstorm on Tuesday. As of 10:00 on Tuesday, the average rainfall across the city reached 136.1 millimeters, resulting in water accumulation in several areas, particularly in Longgang District and Pingshan District.
During the heavy rain, Pingshan District relocated over 180 trapped people and provided more than 2,000 residents with free essentials.
Guangzhou's Zhaoqing City was hit by heavy rainfall on Monday, resulting in flooding in multiple sections of urban areas. The city relocated 1,204 residents from hazardous areas in advance.
The heavy rainfall also disrupted traffic on 11 highways of the city, but repairs had restored access on six of those routes by Tuesday.
Huizhou City is one of the areas most affected by the recent heavy rainfall in the southern part of China. From 20:00 on Saturday to 20:00 on Tuesday, the average rainfall across the region reached 283.9 millimeters.
Local authorities have relocated residents from the affected areas and urgently mobilized personnel to reinforce the levees.
Heavy downpours prompt swift evacuation response in south China
