On July 8th, Zhengzhou in Henan Province was flooded, with water levels in the city reaching nearly 1 meter deep, equivalent to the waist of an average adult. Several streets were submerged in water, with vehicles completely covered, and some neighborhoods entering a “watching the sea” mode.
July 7th and 8th saw heavy rainfalls in the urban area of Zhengzhou, Henan, causing flooding on many streets and submerging vehicles. Videos circulated online showed that manhole covers along the roads were continuously lifted and overturned by the rushing water. Numerous vehicles were submerged, with some cars floating in the water and swaying with the rising water levels, while people struggled to move through the water.
According to “Top News,” on the 8th, a section of Guoji Road in the Jinshui District of Zhengzhou was submerged, with water levels reaching halfway up the vehicles, leaving them stranded.
“Henan Economic Daily” reported on the 8th that areas like Hanghai Road in Zhengzhou had water levels nearly 1 meter deep, reaching the waist of an average adult. Rescue vehicles were also stuck in the floodwaters, forcing many self-driving cars to halt on the Longhai Viaduct.
The transportation in some areas remained paralyzed for several hours.
CCTV reported that local traffic was impassable, leading to traffic control measures. On the 8th, all toll stations on the Zhengzhou Ring Expressway were closed, and some sections of the provincial highways were prohibited from use.
Netizens commented, “This is a common problem, the underground pipe network is getting smaller and smaller.” “Hanghai Road should really be fixed. It floods every time it rains due to its low terrain and insufficient drainage outlets.” “Why not act sooner? Emergency response plans should be implemented every day, at critical times…” “The ‘watching the sea’ mode is activated again, turning Zhengzhou into ‘Zhouzhou.'” “Zhengzhou equals submerged city.”
At one point, the Henan Traffic Broadcast reported that the intersection of Jinxin Road and Zhongxing Road in Jinshui was severely flooded, with water levels surpassing the knees of adults. Jinxin Road was blocked in both directions from Xinyi Road to Dong Sanhuan along the east-west route. Many vehicles were stalled, awaiting rescue.
The latest information from the Zhengzhou Meteorological Observatory indicated that from 2:00 PM on July 7th to 6:00 AM on July 8th, Zhengzhou experienced heavy to torrential rains, with localized heavy downpours. The average precipitation in the city was 54.9 millimeters.