China Tackles Floods, Landslides and Heatwave as Extreme Weather Escalates

China is reeling under a wave of extreme weather this week, with torrential rains, flash floods, deadly landslides and record-breaking heat all hitting different parts of the country at once, according to a Reuters report published Wednesday.

Storm Danas Soaks the Coast

Tropical Storm Danas, which had previously claimed two lives in Taiwan, struck China’s southeast coast on Wednesday, pouring over the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang.

Although no longer a typhoon, Danas was still strong enough to dump as much as 300 mm of rain in certain regions, the report said, citing China’s state broadcaster.

Schools were ordered shut with officials in cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen placed on red alert for flash floods.

Inland Destruction and Emergency Evacuations 

Far inland, the effects of the storm were felt over a 1,400-km area in inland China. In Yibin, a Sichuan city, more than 6,000 residents were evacuated following 14 hours of continuous rain that led to severe flooding. Footage captured by CCTV and cited by Reuters showed firefighters moving through flooded streets and rescuing residents from flooded buildings.

Further north in Gyirong, Tibet, a river overflowed its banks, sending a flash flood which forced displacement of around 300 people. Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, also saw emergency flood measures being adopted after overnight rain of over 100 mm battered the region.

While some regions of China reeled under floods, others reportedly tackled the heat. 

According to the report, a subtropical high-pressure system covered eastern and central China, sending temperatures soaring in major cities including Shanghai, Wuhan and Changsha.

Local authorities, the report said, issued advisories, warning residents not to venture out during peak hours and to monitor for symptoms of dehydration. 

Over 50,000 heat deaths were reported in China in 2023, with no official count available yet for this year, according to The Lancet.

ALSO READ: Cargo Ship ‘Eternity C’ Sinks in Red Sea After Attack, Rescue Underway