Flood warnings greet start of rainy season

Flood control measures will be stretched and traffic chaos looms as torrential rain along the Yangtze River is expected to last until Sunday, forecasters warned.

“Rainstorms are expected to hit Guizhou, Zhejiang, Jingxi and Anhui, with maximum precipitation reaching 300 millimeters, and these areas are at severe risk of serious flooding and landslides,” Zhang Fanghua, chief forecaster of the National Meteorological Center (NMC), said.

Zhou Bing, chief scientist at the National Climate Center under the China Meteorological Administration, said the weather marks the start of the country’s rain season.

“Local governments should pay close attention and remain on alert for possible flooding,’’ Zhou said.

The NMC issued a yellow alert, the third highest, for heavy rain on Thursday for Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang.

Affected regions were asked to issue information alerts and prepare emergency response plans.

Heavy rain hit Dong’an village, Jiangxi province, on Wednesday.

Village head Jiang Shengde said the rain affected more than 800 villagers and flooded more than 86 hectares of farmland.

In Xuan’en county, Hubei province, floods forced the evacuation of more than 4,300 people on Wednesday. Rescue services pulled 153 people to safety, Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.