Thunderstorms forecast as rescue operations, mopping up continue

A large area of Northeast China is facing a double blow after one typhoon wreaked havoc as it headed north, and another is headed the same way.

Severe flooding as a result of the heavy rainfall brought by remnants of Typhoon Doksuri has inflicted huge losses on Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in the past few days.

In Jilin, the downpour began on Aug 1, affecting most areas of the province. By Friday afternoon, Yongsheng Forest Farm in Shulan city experienced rainfall of nearly 500 millimeters, far exceeding the previous record of 103.6 mm, according to the local government.

By Friday night, the heavy rainfall had left 14 dead in the city, with one person still missing. More than 134,000 people have been affected by the floods, the Shulan flood control and emergency response headquarters said.

Jilin meteorological service forecast that from Aug 10 through 13, the province will likely experience thunderstorms brought by Typhoon Khanun.

Heilongjiang's southern areas have experienced record rainfall since Aug 2, leading to severe floods in Harbin and Mudanjiang cities. The provincial meteorological service issued red warnings for heavy rainfall, the highest of the four-tier warning system, from Aug 2 through 5.

By Sunday, more than 270,000 Harbin residents had been affected by the floods and over half of them relocated. About 90,000 hectares of crops have been inundated by water.

Thanks to early prevention measures, Huanshan village in Harbin, which is surrounded by mountains and has a population of 720, managed to avoid any casualties during the heavy rains and subsequent floods, Southern Weekly reported.

Zhang Zhenbao, a villager, said they had paid attention to the weather forecasts and planned ahead.

"As soon as the rainfall reached a certain level, we organized people to evacuate. As we are close to the mountains, we sought refuge in higher-up houses, gathering in these households. We squeezed ourselves in the houses by either sitting or standing, and managed to overcome this challenge," Zhang was quoted as saying.

He said on Aug 2, within eight hours of the water rising, a number of military boats arrived and began rescue operations.

To tackle the disaster, the provincial government has drawn rescue workers from various departments including transportation, housing and urban-rural development, emergency management, telecommunications, and power supplies to participate in rescue and relief efforts, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"With the floodwaters receding, villagers are intensifying their efforts to resume life," Zheng Xiaokang, a police officer from Jiangxi village in Mudanjiang told Xinhua.

In recent days, Zheng has been actively aiding villagers in removing mud from their homes and cleaning up premises.

"I still feel scared when I recall the recent flooding. In the face of the persistent downpour and rising river water, the consequences would have been devastating had we not managed the timely evacuation of villagers," Zheng was quoted as saying.

On Aug 3, in response to the critical situation, Heilongjiang raised its flood response level from four to three. A day later, the level was raised yet higher to two. So far, 25 working groups have been sent to rescue people and aid flood control work, the local government said.

The northeastern region of China remains on alert as Typhoon Khanun, the sixth typhoon of this year, is expected to bring strong winds and torrential rain to the region in the following days, Xinhua reported.

Contact the writers at [email protected]