A river overflows in southern China, stranding people and turning streets into canals
A Chinese flag flies outside of the Secondary Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin northeastern China's Tianjin municipality, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
BEIJING — Rescue workers used rubber dinghies to evacuate people and deliver food and water Wednesday after floodwaters overwhelmed towns in southern China's Guangdong province.
About 30,000 people have been evacuated in Huaiji County after days of heavy rain, state broadcaster CCTV said.
More than half of the county's roads were submerged and power and internet outages were widespread.
The Suijiang River overflowed in an urban area, turning wide swaths of streets into canals. Aerial footage showed high-rise apartment buildings and leafy green trees sticking up from a sea of mud-colored water. In some parts, the water reached about halfway up the first floor and left only the tops of cars visible.
Huaiji County is near the border with the Guangxi region and about 140 kilometres (90 miles) northwest of Guangzhou, a major industrial and port city that is the provincial capital.
Tropical storm Wutip brought heavy rain to the region and was followed by monsoon rains earlier this week. Five people died in Guangxi in two landslides triggered by the tropical storm last weekend.
A rescue worker interviewed on a livestream by the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper said his team needed to evacuate seriously ill patients from a hospital. The team had delivered milk powder and water to a woman with a newborn baby and was sending supplies to dozens of children and elderly people who were at a school.
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
34 minutes ago
- CTV News
Mandatory evacuation order in Badger, Newfoundland amid wildfire
Watch Hundreds of residents of Badger, Newfoundland have been ordered to evacuate as a wildfire threatens the community.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Badger residents told to flee as wildfire approaches community, infrastructure
Residents of Badger, N.L. are being ordered to flee the community, as a wildfire continues to burn just four kilometres from the town. Speaking during a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Premier John Hogan said government made that decision just a few minutes before speaking with reporters. "We thought there might be a little window to make this decision a little bit later in the day, but we certainly felt it's better to be safe than sorry and make sure we move these people as soon as possible," he said. The move comes just a few hours after the town's council told residents they need to be ready to leave their homes at a moment's notice. Hogan said the roughly 500 people in Badger should head to Grand Falls-Windsor, where they can stay at the Joe Byrne Arena. According to the Public Safety Department, the fire is about 380 hectares. It started near the community following a lightning storm in the area Tuesday afternoon. According to the provincial fire hazard map, the entire central Newfoundland region is considered to be between a high and extreme risk for fire. In a news release sent Wednesday morning, Public Safety said it had "wildfire suppression ground resources and air support actioning the fire. Two waterbombers have been dispatched." "The provincial emergency operations centre is at Level 2 and is actively monitoring this situation. Emergency management partners have been engaged to respond, where necessary," said the statement. The department said Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has reduced the amount of power flowing through the Labrador-Island Link. A fire ban is in effect for the entire province. 'Challenging day' Forestry Minister Lisa Dempster also acknowledged the seriousness of the wildfire situation in central Newfoundland. "We're going to have a challenging day ahead today with Badger, by all accounts," she told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning. She advised people to follow the town's official social media accounts to stay up to date regarding the evacuation status. She also said government is making plans to deal with future forest fires. "Here at home we're actually moving to increase the resources that we have. We currently have four 4-15 tankers. We have just invested federal, provincial money — almost $15 million to repair a fifth water tanker, recognizing the need for that," said Dempster. She added they need to recruit more people into the field.
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
A river overflows in southern China, stranding people and turning streets into canals
A Chinese flag flies outside of the Secondary Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin northeastern China's Tianjin municipality, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) BEIJING — Rescue workers used rubber dinghies to evacuate people and deliver food and water Wednesday after floodwaters overwhelmed towns in southern China's Guangdong province. About 30,000 people have been evacuated in Huaiji County after days of heavy rain, state broadcaster CCTV said. More than half of the county's roads were submerged and power and internet outages were widespread. The Suijiang River overflowed in an urban area, turning wide swaths of streets into canals. Aerial footage showed high-rise apartment buildings and leafy green trees sticking up from a sea of mud-colored water. In some parts, the water reached about halfway up the first floor and left only the tops of cars visible. Huaiji County is near the border with the Guangxi region and about 140 kilometres (90 miles) northwest of Guangzhou, a major industrial and port city that is the provincial capital. Tropical storm Wutip brought heavy rain to the region and was followed by monsoon rains earlier this week. Five people died in Guangxi in two landslides triggered by the tropical storm last weekend. A rescue worker interviewed on a livestream by the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper said his team needed to evacuate seriously ill patients from a hospital. The team had delivered milk powder and water to a woman with a newborn baby and was sending supplies to dozens of children and elderly people who were at a school. The Associated Press
