Thousands evacuated as heavy flooding hits Shanxi and Shaanxi

The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management jointly issued a level four emergency response on Saturday as heavy flooding hit the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi.

The two government bodies have sent a working team to the affected areas to help with disaster relief.

China has a four-tier flood control emergency response system, with level one being the most severe.

More than 1.75 million people in 76 counties in Shanxi have been affected by the floods, with 120,100 having been evacuated, the provincial emergency management department said on Sunday.

More than 17,000 houses have collapsed and 190,000 hectares of farmland have been damaged by the flooding, it said.

Meanwhile, 60 coal mines have suspended operations after heavy rain lashed the coal-rich province, local authorities said on Friday.

Recent rainfall across large parts of the province has led to rising water levels and flooding in multiple rivers, the provincial emergency management department said.

Operations at 372 non-coal mines, 14 hazardous-chemical enterprises, over 1,000 construction projects and 166 scenic spots have also been suspended.

The province has allocated 20 million yuan ($3.1 million) for disaster relief work for people severely impacted by flooding and has activated a level three emergency response for natural disasters.

An expert from the China Meteorological Administration said on Saturday that the heavy rain in Shanxi lasted from Oct 2 to Oct 6, and it was accompanied by thunderstorms and a significant drop in temperature.

The average rainfall in Shanxi for the month of October is 31.1 millimeters, but from 8 pm on Oct 2 to 8 am of Oct 7, it saw precipitation averaging 119.5 mm. Eighteen counties in the province had more than 200 mm of rain during the period, with a maximum recording of 285.2 mm, the expert said.

Fifty-nine national meteorological observatories in the province recorded their highest daily rainfall, while 63 observatories reported their highest accumulative rainfall over the period, the expert added.

The Hejin section of Fenhe River in Hejin city, southwestern Shanxi, has faced the largest flood in 57 years due to recent continuous rainfall and more water flowing down from its upper reaches, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

The Fenhe is a major tributary of the Yellow River, and with the water flow in the Fenhe reaching 900 cubic meters per second, more than 20 times the usual rate, local authorities have diverted the water to an area at a local village covering almost 6,700 hectares. It will ultimately flow into the Yellow River.

All the people living in the area have been evacuated, and there have been no reports of casualties, the report said.

In Dali county, Shaanxi, floods resulting from continuous recent rain had inundated 32,700 hectares of farmland. About 239,000 people were affected, with many roads, water projects and power infrastructure facilities damaged, county authorities said on Saturday. More than 18,000 people were evacuated.