Knee-deep in fierce weather, nation pulls together

Heavy rain spreads

Bavi, the ninth typhoon of the year, made landfall twice along the coast of Zhejiang late Saturday before moving inland. It was the strongest typhoon to strike the eastern province in July since 1949, according to the provincial emergency management department.

After battering Zhejiang's coastline, the storm continued its march north, carrying enormous amounts of tropical moisture across eastern China. Meteorologists warned that while the center of the storm was weakening, its footprint remained immense, with heavy rain spreading into the North China Plain and Northeast China.

The National Meteorological Center forecast exceptionally heavy rainfall across parts of Liaoning and Jilin provinces through Tuesday, with localized areas expected to receive extraordinary amounts of rain.

Authorities warned of heightened risks of flash floods, landslides and urban inundation as rivers already swollen by previous storms faced another surge of runoff.

In Lingyuan, Liaoning, days of torrential rain fueled by Typhoon Bavi's outer rain bands and a cold vortex had by Sunday inundated waterways and submerged farmland before the storm arrived.

In Lingyuan's Daoerdeng township, muddy water swallowed cornfields, leaving stalks standing in nearly one meter of floodwater. A 110-meter-long bridge spanning a mountain river disappeared completely beneath the rushing current, forcing authorities to seal off the crossing on Friday night, China Media Group reported.

The township, crisscrossed by rivers and prone to flash floods, had already evacuated all residents from its riverbanks. According to local authorities, 542 people were relocated, with 117 staying in 18 centralized shelters while others moved in with relatives or friends, CMG reported.

More than 6,200 mu (about 413 hectares) of farmland and 1.5 kilometers of rural roads had been damaged as rivers overflowed after days of relentless rain, local officials estimated.

Eleven of the township's 12 reservoirs were above flood-control levels, prompting emergency water releases as rescue crews remained on round-the-clock standby ahead of another forecast round of heavy rain.