At Least 38 Dead and 80,000 Evacuated as Extreme Flooding Hits China: Reports
At least 38 people have reportedly died in China due to severe floods, which are causing structural damage and power outages across the east and north
Amid the natural disaster, 80,000 people have been evacuated
While the rains have temporarily slowed, they are expected to pick up again in the coming daysAt least 38 people have reportedly died due to severe floods sweeping across eastern and northern China.
On Monday, July 28, the areas were hit with heavy rain and floods, resulting in 28 deaths in the Beijing district of Miyun and two deaths in the Yanqing district, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.
An additional eight people were also confirmed to have died in Hebei province, per BBC News.
The floods caused significant casualties, power outages and damage to property and roads, triggering a mass evacuation in the region.
As of Tuesday, July 29, more than 80,000 people were safely evacuated to shelters outside of the flood zone in Beijing, per Xinhua.
'Heavy rain started to hit on Saturday night, flooding some homes in the town," Cui Di, deputy chief of Shicheng Township in Miyun, told the outlet. "During emergencies like this, it's tough for everyone. We do our best to make the shelter as comfortable as possible to ease their anxiety.'
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for 'all-out efforts' in search and rescue operations and flood control as he told authorities to prepare for the "worst-case and extreme scenarios," BBC News and Xinhua reported.
The Chinese Liberation Army and local armed police force and militias have assisted in disaster relief efforts by conducting rescue operations, repairing damaged roads and providing supplies to those in need, per Xinhua.
China's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management offered 350 million yuan ($49 million) for recovery efforts. China's National Development and Reform Commission also allocated 200 million yuan ($28 millon) in relief efforts, per Xinhua.
Beijing issued an alert for rainstorms on Monday evening as local flood control headquarters 'activated the highest level of its citywide flood-control emergency response mechanism,' per BBC News and Xinhua.
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The peak flow in the Qingshui River running through Miyun was dramatically higher than normal, Xinhua reported as evidence of the strength of the flooding.
By 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, rainfall in Taishitun Township, Miyun, began to subside and some local shops opened up again, according to the outlet.
The rainstorm alert in Beijing ended at 2:30 p.m. local time, per BBC News. However, additional rain is forecasted in the coming days.
Read the original article on People
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wildfire, smoke forces evacuation of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation
Wildfires in northern Manitoba are forcing thousands of residents from a First Nation out of their homes over poor air quality and concerns that flames might engulf the only road access to the community. Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) was put under a mandatory full evacuation order on Saturday. Deputy Chief Marcel Moody told CBC News roughly 300 priority residents — including seniors, children and people with underlying health conditions — have so far left Nisichawayasihk for Winnipeg. "I've never seen anything like this in my entire life," Moody said. "The smoke situation has been terrible all summer … it gets worse at certain times, and we are scared the road might be closed." By Sunday morning, more than 3,000 residents were still in Nisichawayasihk. The expectation is most of the residents waiting to be evacuated will be out in the coming days. "We want to do this as quickly as possible to make sure that nobody is stuck," Moody said. "It's a tough task, but we have to do it." One of the closest wildfires is burning about half an hour away from the Nisichawayasihk, Moody said, and there are fears wind might fan the flames toward the road that connects the community with Thompson, about an hour's drive away, and engulf Highway 391, the only land access point in or out. Closure of the road because of the wildfire has already slowed down the evacuation, Moody said. Bus routes out of Nisichawayashik were ground to a halt between 10 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. on Sunday after the road was closed because of the threat of the wildfire. "It's a concern for the community and for our people," the deputy chief said. Highway 391 remains closed to passenger traffic and is only open for emergency vehicles and evacuees, the province said in a news release at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday. The latest data from Manitoba's wildfire services map shows at least two wildfires burning north of Nisichawayasihk— also known as Nelson House — including one that has grown to over 46,000 hectares by Saturday. According to the province's latest fire bulletin, issued Wednesday, the Manitoba Wildfire Service was responding to 127 active wildfires across the province, which has seen a total of 351 wildfires to date, well above the average for this time of year of 276. 'A terrible summer' For about 600 residents in Nisichawayasihk, this is their second evacuation in less than a month. The Cree Nation declared a state of emergency in July due to heavy smoke billowing from wildfires and polluting the air. Hundreds of vulnerable residents, including dozens living in a personal care home, were evacuated from the community. But most of the 600 evacuees had already returned home by last week and now they are being forced out of their homes once again, Moody said. "It's been a terrible summer," he said. "People have been breathing the smoke pretty much the whole summer, [we] don't know what the impact is gonna be … long-term for people's health. A lot of our people are asthmatic [or] have respiratory issues." The evacuations at this time have mostly been co-ordinated by Nisichawayasihk with support from the Red Cross and Indigenous Services Canada at this time. While some evacuees will stay at a monastery, the majority of evacuees will go to the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg, where the province has set up one congregate shelter. "People are stressed out, people don't want to leave their communities, they don't know what's happening," Moody said. "People are scared when they leave their homes … they fear the unknown."
CBS News
8 hours ago
- CBS News
Evacuations ordered in several areas of Carbondale as new wildfire sparks in western Colorado
Fire officials have ordered evacuations of several areas in Carbondale as western Colorado sees a new wildfire. The Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District called for an evacuation of the Panorama subdivision and areas east of County Road 100 to Upper Cattle Creek Road on Sunday afternoon. The fire is being dubbed the Coulter Creek Fire. Air resources were en route and people with livestock can call Alpine Equine Hospital at 970-366-1320 to arrange keeping them there. The fire department has been posting updates on evacuation orders on its Facebook page, and you can sign up for emergency notifications on the ReachWell app.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rainbow cloud glows above storm clouds like a halo
In Shantou, China, residents witnessed a spectacular weather event on July 26: a glowing rainbow cloud shimmered above dark storm clouds like a colorful halo.
