Texas flood death toll continues to rise
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RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Beijing expands storm alert as fatal floods keep city on edge
By Ryan Woo and Joe Cash for Reuters At least 44 people died in Beijing after heavy rains last week. Photo: AFP / PEDRO PARDO Beijing residents have been warned to brace for a new round of heavy rainfall, telling them to avoid going out, a week after catastrophic floods killed dozens in the deadliest deluge to hit the Chinese capital since 2012. Up to 200mm of rain could hit parts of Beijing over a six-hour period from midday, weather forecasters warned. The city of 22 million people receives on average 600mm of rainfall each year. The warning comes as authorities rush to reinforce ageing flood defences, fine-tune weather forecasts and update evacuation plans amid reports of bodies being pulled from raging flood waters across the country, including at least three at a flooded wellness camp in Hebei province. At least 44 people died in Beijing after heavy rains from 23 to 29 July . Most of the dead were people unexpectedly trapped by rapidly rising waters at a nursing home in Miyun district on the city's northeastern outskirts. The fatalities led authorities to admit to shortcomings in their contingency plans for extreme weather. By noon on Monday, Beijing had placed all of its 16 districts on the highest level of preparedness, in the first citywide state of readiness since 28 July, shutting parts of the Great Wall and other outdoor leisure venues and halting operations of below-ground businesses. The risk of flash floods and landslides is "extremely high", authorities said. In the summer of 2012, 79 people died in Beijing in the city's deadliest flooding in living memory. Fangshan district was the worst-hit, with one resident reporting a rise in floodwaters of 1.3 metres in just 10 minutes. Beijing's topography has been described by some as a rain "trap", with its mountains to the west and north capturing moist air and amplifying any ensuing rainfall as a result. As of Saturday, torrential rains that swept through "Beijing Valley", a riverside wellness retreat in the Hebei city of Chengde adjacent to Beijing, had claimed three lives, with four still missing, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. About 40 people had gathered on 27 July for an event at the site, where organisers directed them into tents pitched on low-lying land next to a river bend, Caixin Media reported. By 2am the next morning, floodwaters had risen to knee height, forcing attendees to scramble towards the camp's only exit. The site bore similarities to Camp Mystic in Texas, where at least 28 children were swept to their deaths last month by floodwaters after the Guadalupe River burst its banks amid torrential rain. In China's southern Guangdong province over the weekend, the bodies of five people were recovered after a large-scale search operation involving more than 1300 rescuers. The five people, who went missing on Friday night, were "swept away by water" following heavy rainfall in recent days, Xinhua reported on Sunday. - Reuters
RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
Tsunami wave surge warnings remain in place
Authorities are reviewing the tsunami threat created by the huge earthquake off Russia two days ago, and are expected to update their advisory on Friday morning.. As of 7am, the east coast of New Zealand and the Chatham Islands remain under a national advisory. Strong and unpredicatable wave surges are expected to have continued overnight in those areas overnight. Parts of the West Coast of the South Island and Cook Strait only just meet the threshold for a tsunami threat. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
31-07-2025
- RNZ News
The flood-hit Christchurch growers who need your help
In May this year Christchurch had its fourth-heaviest day of rainfall on record. The devastating floods left half of the Untamed Earth Organic Farm , near Halswell, under water. For 15 years, they have been growing produce and selling veggie boxes and are a regular feature at Ohoka, Lyttelton and South Christchurch farmers' markets. The farm's owners are raising funds ahead of spring planting season to help them. Company director Penny Platt speaks to Jesse. Photo: RNZ / Jean Edwards
