Central China's Henan Province has stepped up its flood control and rescue efforts in multiple locations after extreme rainfall triggered levee breaches along several rivers, which has prompted large-scale evacuations and round-the-clock dike repair operations.
In Yanling County, Xuchang City, a breach over 10 meters long occurred on Thursday along the Qingyi River, causing a rapid surge in water levels.
More than 200 rescue personnel, including armed police, militia and firefighters, were immediately mobilized to evacuate local residents. Rescuers drove steel beams into the breach and filled the gaps with sand and gravel, while road crew built a gravel access road to allow heavy machinery to reach the front line.
By Friday afternoon, all the villagers downstream of the breach had been fully evacuated with no casualties reported.
In Jiaxian County, Pingdingshan City, a breach approximately 47.5 meters wide occurred on Wednesday evening along a civilian levee in the Beiru River section at Changqiao Township, triggered by a combination of the extreme heavy rainfall and the large-volume flood discharge from upstream reservoirs.
Local authorities immediately formulated an emergency response plan, deploying multiple techniques including concrete pouring, wire mesh deployment and diversion channel excavation to accelerate the sealing process, which ultimately succeeded in closing the breach on Friday night.
In Zhoukou City, a breach occurred along the eastern levee of the Jialu River in Chuanhui District at around 23:00 Thursday. The breach, initially about eight meters long, has since expanded to over 30 meters. Rescue workers reinforced the levee with rocks and dumped stone-filled containers into the breach to block the flow.
Villagers and patients of a local hospital downstream, including 781 people, were relocated to safety.
At a resettlement site in a local middle school in Chuanhui District, volunteers registered arriving residents on Friday afternoon, and then staff distributed them bedding, moisture-proof blankets and other supplies, including meals tailored to the needs of elderly residents and children.
Temporary medical services and emotional support are also available on site. The facility has accommodated over 900 people so far, and three resettlement sites have been established across the district as evacuees keep arriving.
Henan Province steps up flood control, rescue efforts amid multiple levee breaches
