Heavy rains batter Hubei, Hunan cities

Schooling, production and transportation services have been suspended, while drainage operations and efforts to relocate affected residents are underway in some parts of Central China's Hubei and Hunan provinces following torrential rains.

Heavy rainfall began in Hubei's Jingzhou city during the weekend. Videos posted online showed severe waterlogging in the downtown area, with local authorities warning that the risk of urban flooding remained extremely high.

By Monday morning, the city's flood control and drought relief authority said it had activated a Level III emergency response for flood control, effective 7 am.

According to its notice, between 8 am on Saturday and 6 am on Monday, the western parts of Jingzhou experienced rainstorms, with some areas hit by extremely heavy rainfall, while the eastern parts of the city saw moderate to heavy rain. Thirty-eight meteorological observation stations across 24 townships and subdistricts recorded extremely heavy rainfall.

The maximum hourly rainfall intensity — recorded at an authoritative national-level weather observation station in Jingzhou — reached 71.7 millimeters between 9 pm and 10 pm on Sunday.

It also recorded a sliding rainfall intensity based on minute-scale data of 90 mm between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm on the same day, breaking historical records since the station began operations in 1953.

Authorities warned that some small reservoirs in the city's Jingzhou district faced the risk of overtopping, prompting the district to launch a Level I emergency response for flood control on Monday morning.

At around 6 am, the Hubei fire and rescue team launched emergency rescue operations, dispatching more than 1,410 firefighters, over 90 rescue vehicles, more than 1,500 pieces of equipment and supplies, and 100 boats to Jingzhou, according to Zhao Junhui, deputy director of Yichang branch of the team.

By Monday afternoon, rescue teams had evacuated more than 1,000 stranded residents, reinforced about 2,100 meters of embankments, and drained approximately 110,000 cubic meters of floodwater, said Zhao, adding that rescue operations were progressing in an orderly manner, while flooding in surrounding areas eased gradually.

According to an emergency notice issued by local authorities in Jingzhou, strict suspension measures covering work, production, business operations, transportation and schools were immediately implemented across the city's central urban districts to support emergency rescue and drainage efforts.

Industrial parks and manufacturing enterprises in the city center were instructed to stop production. Authorities said power supplies in hazardous areas would be cut off to prevent secondary disasters.

Public transportation services, including city buses, taxis, ride-hailing services and long-distance passenger transport, were also suspended. Authorities urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, highlighting that only emergency rescue and disaster-relief vehicles should be on the roads.

Meanwhile, all primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, childcare institutions and off-campus training centers in the downtown area suspended classes and offline teaching activities. The duration of suspensions remains weather-dependent.

Yichang, a city neighboring Jingzhou, was also affected by heavy downpours. Local authorities said the latest round of rainfall had broken Yichang's 24-hour precipitation record set over the past 36 years.

Meanwhile, a torrential rainstorm has battered Changde, a city in northern Hunan, since Sunday, with hourly rainfall reaching a provincial record in one county, according to local authorities.

According to the local traffic police authority, some road sections in Shimen county have experienced flooding, slope collapses and falling rocks, posing safety risks. Temporary traffic controls were imposed on several road sections.

Local authorities promptly mobilized emergency relief supplies and transported them to disaster-hit areas on Monday afternoon despite traffic disruptions, according to Yang Fei, a staff member at Shimen county's commercial bureau.

Prepared emergency relief supplies include 1,400 barrels of cooking oil, 2,600 bags of rice, 870 boxes of instant noodles and 670 cases of bottled water, said Peng Juan, a worker at a local supermarket.

According to China Central Television, widespread rainfall across China is expected to gradually shift eastward and southward between Monday and Tuesday. Starting Wednesday, the strongest rainfall is expected to be concentrated along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.