Heavy rains affect nearly 500 000 people, devastate crop fields in Jiangxi, China

Nearly 500 000 people in Jiangxi province were affected by heavy rains from Friday to Sunday, May 5 – 7, 2023, leading to the evacuation of around 14 000 residents and causing an estimated 520 million yuan ($75.2 million) in direct economic losses. China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters launched a level-IV emergency response for flood control on May 6. Rescue operations are underway.

Heavy rainfall impacted nearly 500 000 people in Jiangxi province, China, from Friday through Sunday, prompting the evacuation of approximately 14 000 residents. The provincial flood and drought control headquarters reported the situation on Sunday, highlighting the major flood challenge that Southern China faces this year due to uneven distribution of rainfall.

As of 16:00 on Sunday, seven cities in Jiangxi, including Fuzhou, Ji’an, Yichun, and Xinyu, had been affected, resulting in crop damage across 67 700 ha (165 560 acres). Direct economic losses are estimated at around 520 million yuan ($75.2 million), according to local authorities.

The National Meteorological Center forecasts that most areas south of the Yangtze River will experience heavy rain on Monday, May 8, with the monthly precipitation potentially reaching or surpassing the maximum rainfall ever recorded in May.

The Ministry of Water Resources states that since the end of March, flood threats in China’s southern region had not been severe. However, the situation worsened on Friday as downpours and floods ravaged southern parts of the country. Between Friday and Sunday, some provinces in southern China recorded 406 mm (16 inches) of rainfall in Fuzhou, Jiangxi, and 313 mm (12.3 inches)in Nanping, Fujian province.

A total of 50 rivers in six provinces have exceeded their danger marks since the end of March.

Local authorities in Fuzhou have mobilized emergency response teams as heavy rains caused inundation of urban areas and farmlands. A breach in the Qingfeng dike in Yichun, Jiangxi, was repaired around 18:00 LT on Sunday after it occurred on Saturday. About 300 people in the vicinity had been evacuated. A rescue team of over 1 000 personnel quickly assembled to implement emergency response measures following the dike breach.

Disaster response officials are taking preventive steps in other areas, identifying vulnerable spots and alerting nearby residents.

China Central Television reported that four officials from Xinluo district in Longyan, Fujian, went missing around 01:40 on Sunday after flash floods caused a bridge to collapse while they were inspecting the water level of the Longchuan River.

References:

¹ 14,000 evacuated from flood-hit Jiangxi – China Daily – May 8, 2023

Featured image credit: CGTN (stillshot)

If you value what we do here, create your ad-free account and support our journalism.