China's Liaoning evacuates over 28,000 residents to combat floods

SHENYANG, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- More than 28,000 residents of northeast China's Liaoning Province have been evacuated following a new round of torrential rains, with water levels of six rivers exceeding warning levels.

Downpours battered many parts of the province from 7 a.m. Sunday to 7 a.m. Monday, with the largest hourly rainfall reaching 81.9 mm in Xinglongtai District in the city of Panjin. The province's average precipitation reached 25.4 mm during the 24 hours.

To cope with this latest round of rainstorms, eight out of the province's 14 prefectural-level cities activated Level III or Level IV emergency responses for flood control, including the provincial capital Shenyang, where a Level-III emergency response was issued, according to the provincial headquarters for flood control and drought relief.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most urgent response.

The provincial water resources department has mobilized people for river patrol and reservoir inspection.

The provincial meteorological observatory said more rains are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.