Six people have been confirmed dead by 11 am on Thursday in floods that struck Rongjiang county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, since Tuesday, according to the county's flood control office in a report from China Central Television.
The floods reached their peak on Tuesday, submerging most low-lying urban areas and causing extensive damage to infrastructure. Power, communications, and water supplies were cut off, and roads were left impassable.
Water levels in the county seat have now dropped below the warning threshold. Response teams are clearing silt, disinfecting affected zones, and pumping water out of low-lying neighborhoods.
On Wednesday evening, emergency power was partially restored to some streetlights and community facilities, and by early Thursday, water service was restored to the lower floors of buildings in the urban area.
Meanwhile, Guizhou province has activated a Level III emergency response for meteorological disasters triggered by rainstorms, effective from 2:00 pm Wednesday, as a new round of heavy rain continues to affect the region, according to the provincial meteorological authorities.
The rainfall is forecast to sweep from the northeast to the central southwest of the province over the next two days, with expected precipitation ranging from heavy rain to rainstorms. Some areas are likely to experience torrential rain, according to the Guizhou Meteorological Service.
From 8 am Tuesday to 8 am Wednesday, eight county-level regions, including Qixingguan, Dafang, and Xiuwen, experienced torrential rain, while 34 counties reported heavy rainfall.
At 11:00 am Wednesday, the provincial meteorological observatory upgraded its blue alert for rainstorms to a yellow alert, warning rainstorms are expected in parts of Guiyang, Liupanshui, Anshun, and Tongren, among others. Some areas may experience torrential rain.
Authorities have issued alerts over the high degree of overlap between the upcoming and previous rainfall zones, with soils now near saturation, increasing the risks of secondary disasters such as mountain torrents, landslides and mudslides.
READ MORE: China braces for more heavy rainfall, floods
China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most severe and a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
