Beijing Lifts Rain Alert After Evacuating Over 80,000
The municipal weather office had imposed a red rainstorm warning -- the highest in a four-tier system -- on Monday, forecasting heavy downpours until Tuesday morning.
The office lifted the alert early Tuesday morning, saying in a social media statement the weather system had weakened as it drifted eastwards.
But it continued to warn of isolated downpours across outlying parts of the city, adding that people "must not let up after strong rains have passed" as landslides or other disasters may follow.
Authorities evacuated over 82,000 people at risk from heavy rainfall as of Monday evening, state news agency Xinhua said, citing the city's flood control headquarters.
Officials warned of flooding risks in the northeastern suburb of Miyun -- the hardest hit by the recent deluge -- as well as southwestern Fangshan, western Mentougou and northern Huairou.
Last week, floods in Beijing's northern suburbs killed at least 44 people and left nine missing, according to official figures.
Some 31 fatalities occurred at an elderly care centre in Miyun -- prompting a local official to admit "gaps" in disaster readiness.
"Our knowledge of extreme weather was lacking. This tragic lesson has warned us that putting the people first, putting human life first, is more than a slogan," Yu Weiguo, Miyun's ruling Communist Party boss, said at the time.
Residents of flood-hit areas told AFP journalists that they had been surprised at the speed with which the rushing water had inundated homes and devastated villages.
At a meeting on Monday, the municipal government stressed the need to "restore the normal order of life and production in post-disaster areas as quickly as possible".
Urgent tasks included road repairs, electricity and water resumption and the refurbishment of schools, hospitals and elderly care homes, officials said, according to a statement on a city social media account.
China's public security ministry has also warned people to be on guard against "rumours", including exaggerating the extent of natural disasters to create panic, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday.
China has been lashed by heavy rains in recent weeks, with heavy flooding in the north followed by intense precipiation along the southern coast.
Parts of Hong Kong were brought to a standstill on Tuesday by flooding caused by heavy rains, after the highest-tier rainstorm warning was issued for the fourth time in eight days.
Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat.
China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense.
But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060. Taxis and other vehicles drive along a waterlogged Gloucester Road in Hong Kong's Wanchai district on August 5, 2025, amid a black rainstorm warning issued by the city's weather observatory AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
21 hours ago
- DW
Greece: Firefighters battle deadly blaze near Athens – DW – 08/09/2025
Three people died as gale-force winds hit Greece, fanning the flames of a wildfire close to the capital. More strong winds are expected in the area, which could further exacerbate blazes in several regions. More than 260 firefighters battled a wildfire near Greece's capital Athens on Saturday, as wind conditions raised alarms about the fire's potential to escalate. The blaze, which has already left one person dead, broke out on Friday in Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of Athens. Two others died after being caught in the gale-force winds. The wildfire, stoked by winds of up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour, destroyed several homes and farmlands in Keratea, setting olive orchards alight. Footage published by local media showed gutted houses. Local officials ordered the evacuation of several homes in the area and an elderly care center. Police went door to door late on Friday night to ensure that the homes had been evacuated. The remains of an elderly man were found in a burned-out structure near Keratea. "The fire has weakened, but there are still active pockets," a fire department spokesman told AFP news agency on Saturday. Several other wildfires were reported across Greece, including regions around the historical site of Ancient Olympia and on the tourist island of Kefalonia. Winds of up to 74 kilometers (46 miles) an hour were forecast for Saturday, Greece's national weather service EMY said. Strong coastal winds also caused the deaths of two Vietnamese tourists, who were on a cruise ship group visiting a lunar-like, volcanic rock beach on the Cycladic island of Milos. The 61-year-old woman fell into the sea at Sarakiniko beach, and a 65-year-old man tried to rescue her, according to the Greek coastguard. After ferry travel for tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers was disrupted by the severe weather, a temporary ban on ships leaving or arriving at Athens ports was lifted on Saturday. In neighbouring Turkey, wildfires caused the Dardanelles Strait, a waterway linking the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara, to be shut temporarily in both directions. Hundreds of people were evacuated from areas close to the blazes in the northwestern province of Canakkale. Greece, Turkey other Mediterranean countries are known for hot and dry summers that scientists have dubbed "a wildfire hot spot." The two neighbors have been enduring a summer heatwave, with temperatures in Athens recently hitting 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit). Much of the region around Athens has had barely a drop of rain in months. Forecasters in Greece and Turkey say the risk of wildfire will remain high until October. The fires have become more destructive in recent years due to climate change, scientists say, sparking calls for new ways of tackling the issue. Authorities are under growing pressure to invest in artificial intelligence and satellite monitoring to spot fires before they spread. There are also calls for Mediterranean nations to expand cross-border firefighting collaboration, including shared rapid response teams and water-dropping planes and helicopters. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Two Tourists Die, Fires Erupt In Greece Amid Gale-force Winds
Two Vietnamese tourists died at sea in Greece on Friday, the coastguard said, as gale-force winds confined many ferries to port, disrupting tens of thousands of summer travellers, and sparked wildfires. A coastguard spokeswoman said a man and woman had died at the Sarakiniko beach on the tourist island of Milos in the Cyclades, as firefighters battled blazes near Athens and on the island of Cephalonia. "The man and woman were found unconscious in the sea and were taken to the local health centre," the spokeswoman said. "They were Vietnamese tourists on a cruise ship group. The woman fell in the water and the man apparently tried to save her," she said. The civil protection ministry had said wind gusts would reach 88 kilometres (54 miles) an hour, especially in the southern Aegean and the Sea of Crete. More than 200 firefighters backed by 11 water bombers and seven helicopters were battling a fire in Keratea, southeast of Athens, Costas Tsigkas, head of the association of Greek firefighter officers, told ERT state television. "It's a difficult fire... (owing) to wind gusts," he said, adding that several communities had been evacuated. "The fire front is seven kilometres, homes are under threat," a local mayor, Dimitris Loukas, told ERT, adding that the wind was complicating efforts to douse the blaze from the air. The Cephalonia fire was earlier placed under control, local officials said. National weather service EMY said the winds would weaken after midnight. The coastguard said most ferries were unable to depart on schedule from Piraeus and other Athens ports, especially to the Cyclades or Dodecanese islands. Several services were cancelled and others postponed. At Piraeus, hundreds of people crowded outside a ferry that was bound for the Cycladic islands of Paros and Naxos, waiting for news on a possible departure. Nearby, stranded travellers surrounded by rucksacks and suitcases formed a huge queue outside a ticket office and made desperate phone calls hoping to make rearrangements to save their journeys. "There's huge lines, huge commotion, everyone's waiting in the sun and it's a very tough time," said Philip Elias, an American tourist. Sergi Gros, a 51-year-old civil servant from Spain, said he was scrambling to find last-minute accommodation in Athens for two nights, having already lost his booking on the island of Astypalea. "We arrived at 6:45 in the morning and they told us the ferry was cancelled," Gros told AFP, saying there was a "total lack of information". "I don't think (the hotel) can be refunded because it's not their fault. It's a great shame because we booked with a big (ferry) company, and there are people who reserve months in advance... they left us stranded," he said. Maritime connections with the Saronic islands near Athens including Aegina, Hydra, Poros and Spetses and the Ionian Sea were unaffected, the coastguard said. Strong winds are common in Greece at this time of year, and firefighters have already faced several major blazes this summer, including on the islands of Evia and Chios and in the western Peloponnese.
DW
2 days ago
- DW
At least 10 die in northwestern China after flash floods – DW – 08/08/2025
Several people have died and dozens are missing after heavy rains in Yuzhong County, Gansu province. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the "utmost effort" as rescue missions continue. At least 10 people have died and 33 remain missing after flash foods in Yuzhong County in China's north central Gansu province, Chinese state media reported on Friday. "From August 7, continuous heavy rain... has triggered flash floods. As of 3:30 p.m. (0730 GMT) on August 8, 10 people have died and 33 are missing," state broadcaster CCTV reported. Chinese President Xi Jinping has demanded the "utmost effort" in rescuing the missing people, CCTV reported him as saying. Owing to the "frequent occurrence of extreme weather," Xi ordered all regions to "resolutely overcome complacency" while increasing efforts to identify risks. Heavy rains since Thursday have caused flash floods and at least one landslide in Guangdong province, according to CCTV. The floods meant no power and telecommunications services in the Xinglong mountain area, leaving more than 4,000 people across four villages stranded. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some areas experience heavy rains while others suffer from soaring temperatures. Last month, heavy rains in northern Beijing killed 44 people, with the capital's rural suburbs hit particularly hard. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more common. The country is also a renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its economy carbon-neutral by 2060.
