Photo taken on July 3, 2016 shows the scene of a waterlogged street in Xuancheng city, East China's Anhui province. Many regions in Anhui were flooded due to heavy rainfall in recent days. [Photo/Xinhua]

Intense downpours have caused huge losses along the Yangtze River drainage area in recent days, and more rain is expected to batter the region along with the first typhoon this year, according to authorities.

Heavy rains have left 186 people dead and 45 missing in 26 provinces, regions and municipalities across the country as of Sunday, causing a loss of 50.6 billion yuan ($7.59 billion), the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.

About 33 million people were affected by the rain and rain-triggered floods, and 1.48 million people have been relocated across 1,192 counties in 26 provinces. The rain and flooding has destroyed 56,000 homes.

Compared to the same period in 2000, the number of areas and people affected has reduced. The number of people killed and homes destroyed reduced dramatically, but the direct loss increased significantly, by 51 percent.

Because more rain has been concentrated on the country's southern, eastern and northeastern parts, floods could occur along the Yangtze, Songhua and Huaihe rivers this summer, an official from the headquarters said.

Authorities have predicted water will exceed warning levels at the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the upper and middle reaches of the Huaihe River from Sunday to Tuesday.

Two rounds of rain could occur in next 10 days along the middle and lower sections of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River drainage areas.

Residents are moved to safety on July 3, 2016,in Tongling, Anhui province, as flooding continued to affect the city and other regions in central and eastern China. [Photo by Zhan Jun/For China Daily]

Two flood peaks

The flood control headquarters issued the first warning of a Yangtze flood peak on Friday due to heavy rains from Thursday, along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The flood peak entered the Three Gorges Reservoir at 50,000 cubic meters per second.

A second flood peak is expected on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Poyang and Dongting lakes, both flood basins of the river, the headquarters said on Sunday.

As of Sunday, the total precipitation reached 200 millimeters in many parts of the Anhui, Hubei and Jiangsu provinces. In Luan, Anhui province, the precipitation reached 480 millimeters. In Huanggang, Hubei province, one day's precipitation reached 325 millimeters.

The heavy rain in recent days has caused 91 rivers to experience rising water above warning levels, while five rivers recorded their highest water levels in history.

Soldiers carry sandbags to reinforce a dam in Shencun Township in Xuancheng city, East China's Anhui province, July 3, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Hubei, Anhui worst hit

In central Hubei Province, torrential rain has left 34 people dead and 11 others missing, between Thursday and Sunday. In Anhui Province, seven people have died and another four went missing from June 27 to July 3, according to local authorities.

More than 17 million people have been affected by the rain in the two provinces, with 974,000 people relocated. The rain also destroyed over 400,000 rooms and affected 1.4 million hectares of crops.

Relief efforts

The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs has launched a level-IV emergency response in the Hubei and Anhui provinces.

Authorities sent a work team and 3,000 tents to help relief work in Hubei, while in Anhui, authorities allocated 3,000 tents and 3,000 folding beds to the province, in addition to 5,000 quilts.

Anhui authorities have organized 40,000 officials and people to patrol dykes in the province, dealing with 374 dangerous situations. Hubei authorities also have sent thousands of officials and police to scrutinize the dykes.

When the first flood flow formed in the Yangtze River on Friday, the Three Gorges Dam captured the flow and mitigated flooding downstream, the flood control headquarters said.

The peak inflows reached 50,000 cubic meters per second on Friday, and the Three Gorges Dam, in Yichang, Hubei province, captured much of the water and cut outflow to 31,000 cubic meters per second.
 

Photo taken on July 3, 2016 shows surging water under an unfinished bridge in Xuancheng city, East China's Anhui province. [Photo/Xinhua]

 

First typhoon formed

Nepartak, the first typhoon of the year, was formed south to Guam around 8 am on Sunday. It is moving northwest about 15 kilometers per hour. It is expected to bring gales and downpours to eastern coastal areas the next week.

The country's weather authority suggested people in southern areas reduce outdoor activities on rainy days and take precautions against possible floods and landslides.

 

 

(chinadaily.com.cn)