20,000 relocated after rainstorms hit China's Guangdong

Torrential rains have hit south China’s Guangdong Province, unleashing floods and forcing the relocation of 20,096 people, local authorities said yesterday.

The emergency management department of Guangdong said authorities on Monday delivered hundreds of tents, as well as clothes, bottled water and food, to the hardest-hit cities of Zhaoqing and Qingyuan.

Local armed police have also mobilized personnel, vehicles and hovercraft to help evacuate residents and reinforce dams.

Local meteorological authorities said persistent and intense rain is to be expected during the rainy season between May 21 and June 20.

Since the beginning of June, downpours have hit large parts of south China.

That has brought total rainfall to 100 to 250 millimeters in some regions, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

Affected by the rainstorms, 52 rivers in eight provincial-level regions, including Guangdong and Fujian provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, had seen water levels exceed warning levels, authorities said.

The annual plum rain season has started nine days early this year. 

CNS