Recently, the sudden heavy rainfall in Shexian County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, has caused massive flooding, leading to houses being washed out with large holes and an elderly couple in their seventies being swept away by the floodwaters. Currently, the local authorities have issued a level one red alert for mountain flood disasters.
On the evening of June 22nd, the Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in Shexian County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, announced the activation of a level one red alert for mountain flood disasters.
According to the local meteorological department’s forecast, from the night of June 22nd to the 23rd, there is a high possibility of torrential rain and heavy rain in Shexian County, leading to mountain floods and geological disasters across the entire region. They have urged residents living in low-lying areas, along rivers and creeks, and in areas with steep slopes to evacuate immediately.
The rainy season in Anhui Province began on June 19th, with areas along the Yangtze River in southern Anhui experiencing heavy rain and floodwaters exceeding the warning levels in rivers such as Xin’an River, Qiupu River, and Puxi River from 8:00 on the 19th to 8:00 on the 20th.
As per the meteorological department’s forecast, Anhui is expected to witness several heavy rainfall events in the next ten days.
Anhui Province initiated a level IV emergency response for flood defense from 14:00 on the 20th. Heavy rainfall in Shexian County on that day triggered flooding disasters, with an average rainfall of 158.5 millimeters within 12 hours, affecting over 27,000 people. Many houses collapsed, vehicles were washed away, and several individuals went missing or lost their lives.
On the afternoon of the 21st, reporters observed in Shaolian Village, Shexian County, that after the floodwaters receded, streets were covered in sludge and debris, with villagers busy cleaning up their homes.
Several kilometers downstream from Shaolian Village along the river, Ba Village in Wangcun Town suffered more severe damage.
Mr. Xie, a villager, recounted how the floodwaters rushed into his home through the front door, creating a large hole in the wall and sweeping away his elderly parents, who are still missing.
Mr. Xie happened to be working not far from his home when the flood struck, seeking shelter on the other side of the house as the floodwaters surged in too rapidly.
He saw his father at the front door, shouting for him to come home and seek shelter, but their conversation was drowned out by the roaring floodwaters.
Witnessing his father attempt to close the door before the water breached the house, Mr. Xie speculated that his father was trying to protect his mother, who had recently undergone surgery and could not move easily.
Near the huge hole smashed by the flood in the wall, there remained his mother’s walking stick.
Mr. Xie choked back tears, saying, “The flood rushed in through the front door, carrying debris that crashed through the walls. They were swept away by the flood through this large hole.”
Mrs. Cheng, Mr. Xie’s wife, shared her experience of being in the kitchen when the flood hit. Within just two to three minutes, the water level rose over 2 meters, forcing her to climb onto the chimney for safety.
Next door to Mr. Xie’s home, Mr. Xiang’s family also suffered from the floodwaters.
When the flood struck, 48-year-old Mr. Xiang struggled to lift his mother, who was trapped in the pigsty, onto the roof for safety, but he himself was swept away by the floodwaters and tragically lost his life.
After the floodwaters receded, reporters in Mr. Xiang’s home saw that the pigsty, located 20 meters behind the house, had collapsed under the impact of the flooding. Walls of nearby houses bore waterlines about 2 meters high, with extensive collapses seen in many village homes.
The streets were filled with sludge, damaged trees, and fallen electrical poles, while a large landslide blocked half of the road on a slope nearby.
Visible on the outer walls of houses along the river were waterlines nearly a meter high, with villagers having to fetch water from the river to clean out the mud from their homes.
Local reports indicated that 24 reservoirs in Shexian County had surpassed flood limit levels, with 28 townships experiencing flooding.
As of the 22nd, water levels at the Lianjiang Yuliang Hydrological Station in Shexian County had risen to 118.4 meters, exceeding the peak levels of the rainfall floodwaters that caused the local college entrance examination to be postponed four years ago.
Forecasts predicted that when the flood peak crossed on the 22nd, water levels would approach the historical peak record set by the extreme flood on July 5, 1969.