customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Coy Li

A county in the central Chinese province of Hunan has been hit with the most severe flooding seen in 70 years after torrential storms, with local authorities declaring it a “wartime” emergency situation.
The Miluo River – which flows through Pingjiang county and eventually joins the Yangtze – had reached 77.7 metres (255 feet) by 12.30am on Tuesday, the county government said.
That was the highest water level recorded since 1954, and it exceeded the alert level by more than 7 metres.

Pingjiang – home to 1.15 million people – is a county within Yueyang, a city in Hunan’s northeast.
In nearby Miluo county, also in Yueyang, at least two villagers were reported missing after a landslide on Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Heavy rains that brought widespread flooding to southern China have battered the Yangtze River region in recent weeks.
A dyke burst in two sections along the upper reaches of the Miluo River in Pingjiang, flooding large swathes of the county, while reservoirs were overflowing.
One-third of Pingjiang’s old town and half of its new town is under water, provincial newspaper Hunan Daily reported. Floodwater in some areas was said to be as high as 3 metres.
More than 5,300 people have been evacuated so far, according to Rednet, the Hunan government’s official website.


<![CDATA[// ><!]]>

Pingjiang has recorded 759.6mm (29.9 inches) of rainfall since June 18 – the highest for this period since 1961 when records began.
The county’s Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters issued the highest-level emergency response, calling it a wartime situation.
More than 160 rescue teams have been mobilised, with over 15,500 rescue workers involved. Bus services were shut down in the county from noon on Monday, while traffic was diverted from some highways in Yueyang.

Heavy rains are set to continue lashing the county until Wednesday, with the weather bureau forecasting 80-120mm of rainfall.
That could take the water level past the record high of 78.16 metres, forecasters told state news agency Xinhua.
China’s major rivers have already reached alert levels in more than a dozen places since the flood season started last month.
Major flooding is expected in the coming weeks across China, including in the Huai River and the Huai River Basin, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, as well as the Songhua River and Liao River, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

Shanghai mops up as Typhoon Bebinca reaches eastern China’s Jiangsu province

China says it’s working with Vietnam on flood control after Typhoon Yagi

Super Typhoon Yagi: officials, military in Southern China push to restore power, services

Super Typhoon Yagi lashes south China, killing 4 and injuring 95

Accidents, extreme weather and disasters in China

‘Wartime’ situation as worst flooding in 70 years hits county in central China

Residents are evacuated from a flooded village in Pingjiang county, Hunan province on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

Pingjiang county has been inundated after heavy rains. Photo: Xinhua

More than 5,300 people have been evacuated from Pingjiang as floodwaters rise. Photo: Xinhua

China reinforces central emergency response law as vast swathes battle downpours, drought

China’s national weather office on Saturday issued its highest rainfall warning under a four-tier system as four provinces continue to battle heavy downpours. Photo: Reuters 

China’s Yangtze River provinces on alert for floods with more heavy rain on the horizon

Volunteers from Yiwangxi in Hunan carry supplies to disaster victims. In 24 hours to 8am on Saturday,  a record 395.6mm rainfall in the area caused landslides and isolated residents. Photo: Xinhua

Landslide kills 8 in Hunan as extreme rainfall in China continues to wreak havoc

Rescuers use heavy machinery to shift the rubble as they search for eight people who were later found dead in a landslide in Hunan province, central China on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

An aerial drone photo shows some of the devastation in Hunan province on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

China must be better prepared for extreme weather and disasters, influential newspaper says

Farmers watering a field with newly planted corn amid an orange alert for heatwave in the drought-hit region of  Jinan, Shandong province last Thursday. China’s extreme weather is becoming more frequent, lending more urgency to disaster preparedness. Photo: Reuters

This photo shows the rising water level of a river in Changsha, in central China’s Hunan province on Monday after intense rain. Photo: Xinhua

A thermometer at Huoyan Mountain records a surface temperature of 81 degrees Celsius on Sunday. Photo: CCTV

News

China

One-third of Pingjiang’s old town and half of its new town is said to be under water and more than 5,300 people have been evacuated so far


One-third of Pingjiang’s old town and half of its new town is said to be under water and more than 5,300 people have been evacuated so far after torrential rains.


Extreme weather