Thousands evacuated in Hunan flooding

Rescuers evacuate people trapped by floodwaters on Monday in Xiangtan county, Hunan province. (YANG HUAFENG/CHINA NEWS SERVICE)

Thousands of people have been evacuated to safety following three dike breaches since Sunday on the overflowing Juanshui River in Xiangtan county, Central China's Hunan province, according to the local publicity department.

The first breach occurred at around 6:40 pm on Sunday in Xiangtan's Huashi township, prompting local authorities to relocate at least 800 residents, China Central Television reported. The breach was sealed by 3 pm on Monday and the floodwater was drained out.

The second breach was spotted at around 8 pm on Sunday in Xiangtan's Yisuhe township, and it widened to 77 meters by 3:58 am on Monday, the CCTV report said, adding that more than 3,800 people were evacuated.

The water level of the Juanshui River was 0.3 meters higher than the record level in its history, as heavy rainfall caused by Typhoon Gaemi battered the Xiangjiang River basin since Friday, according to news reports.

The Juanshui is a tributary of the Xiangjiang River, which is called the lifeline river of Hunan. The fourth flood warning of the year was issued for the Xiangjiang on Sunday night.

Local governments have mobilized more than 1,000 officials and over 1,000 emergency responders to aid search and rescue efforts, which were underway as of press time on Monday.

According to a People's Daily report, a third breach measuring more than 30 meters occurred at 1:40 pm on Monday in Xiangtan's Hekou township. Search and rescue efforts were underway in the area, and affected people were being evacuated to safety, the report said.

Four schools in Xiangtan county have been turned into temporary shelters for those evacuated following the dike breaches.

On Monday, an official with the local publicity department confirmed the three breaches, but did not provide further details. No casualties or injuries were reported in the three incidents.

The 57-kilometer Juanshui River runs through seven townships in the county, and is a major source of drinking water for local residents. The river's water level is expected to drop below the warning level by 5 am on Tuesday, according to the local hydrology department.

Temporary shelter

Liu Qingquan, 71, a resident of Yisuhe township's Xintang village, was transferred to a middle school on Monday morning after his house was flooded.

Liu said he did not have the time to bring any of his personal belongings after the flooding and evacuation alert was sounded in the village. "My hands were shaking. ...I tried to close the door to prevent floodwater from gushing in, but in vain," he said.

Tan Jianning, Party secretary of the Hekou township central school, said the school was being used as a temporary shelter for those affected by flooding and had received 121 evacuees as of Monday afternoon.

Thirty-five teachers were serving as volunteers and the school was offering drinking water, free meals, and daily necessities to the evacuees, who had been accommodated in student dormitories, he said.

Most of these evacuated people are elderly residents, and some of them have come with their grandchildren, Tan said, adding that the shelter was also offering medical aid to those in need.

"They were very traumatized yesterday, but today they seem to be in better spirits. Village folks are tenacious by nature; they always look at the brighter side of things," he said.

The Office of the National Committee for Disaster Reduction and Relief, along with the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, has sent 15,000 items of bed linen, summer quilts, and family emergency kits to those affected by flooding in Xiangtan.

Meanwhile, eight villages in Zixing, also in Hunan, have resumed communication and transportation services after they were cut off due to torrential rainfall brought about by Typhoon Gaemi, according to CCTV.

The average accumulated rainfall in Zixing from 8 am on Friday to 9 am on Monday was 409.9 millimeters, with the highest recorded rainfall reaching 673.6 mm, setting a historical record.

As China grapples with its critical period of flood control from late July to early August, the Yellow River — the country's second-longest river — reported its first flood of the year in its upper reaches in Qinghai province on Monday morning, according to the Yellow River Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources.

The ministry has sent a working group to Qinghai to guide flood prevention work.

Zhu Youfang in Changsha contributed to this story.