China’s Pingjiang hit by worst floods in 70 years
A ‘wartime’ emergency was declared by local authorities in Pingjiang, China’s Hunan Province after flooding in Miluo River went 7 m (23 feet) above alert level.

A ‘wartime’ emergency was declared by local authorities in Pingjiang, China’s Hunan Province after flooding in Miluo River went 7 m (23 feet) above alert level.

Heavy rains impacted several provinces in central China on June 23, 2024, causing floods and landslides that affected hundreds of thousands of people. At least 8 fatalities were reported after a landslide in Hunan Province. Local authorities have issued several alerts and are currently carrying out disaster control and rescue operations in high-risk regions.

Torrential rainfall affecting southern China over the past 5 days caused historic flooding and landslides in Guangdong’s Pingyuan County, severely damaging infrastructure and farmland, and leaving at least 47 people dead.

Extremely heavy rains have been battering southern China for the past week as the country entered its main flood season, resulting in deadly floods and landslides that have severely impacted the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. As of June 18, 2024, 5 people have been confirmed dead in Guangdong, and 17 are missing. In Fujian, at least 4 people have died and 2 remain missing.

Extremely heavy rains in southeast China’s Fujian province over the past 7 days caused severe flooding and landslides, in which at least 4 people lost their lives and 2 remain missing. Hundreds of homes have been damaged and at least 36 000 people were forced to evacuate.

Central and northern China continues to grapple with a scorching summer, with temperatures in Henan and Hebei provinces reaching 43 °C (109 °F) or higher. An extreme drought warning is in effect and local governments were urged to take emergency measures and disperse all available water sources in the affected areas.

A large landslide destroyed a significant portion of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, China, at around 02:10 local time on May 1, 2024. The collapse caused 23 vehicles to plummet down a steep slope, igniting some in flames and resulting in 48 fatalities and 30 injuries as of May 2, 2024.

A destructive multi-vortex tornado, accompanied by heavy rain and large hail up to 12 cm (4.72 inches) in diameter, struck the Guangzhou megacity (population 18.6 million) at approximately 15:00 LT on April 27, 2024, leaving at least five people dead, 33 injured and 141 commercial building damaged. Guangzhou is located in south China’s Guangdong province and is one of the country’s three largest cities.

Record-breaking rainfall affecting China’s Guangdong Province since Friday, April 19, 2024, pushed water levels in the Bei River, a tributary of the Pearl River, to exceed 50-year highs, causing widespread floods in which at least 4 people died and 10 others went missing. The floods caused extensive damage, including the destruction of 36 houses and severe damage to 48 others, incurring direct economic losses of nearly 140.6 million yuan.

The southern Chinese province of Guangdong faces severe flooding risks with the Bei River’s water levels predicted to peak at 37.3 m (122 feet) early on April 22, 2024. This event, deemed a ‘once-in-a-century’ occurrence, comes after the region experienced record-breaking rainfall, affecting millions of people.