Since June 24, Rongjiang County in Guizhou Province has been hit by a massive flood. According to official reports, as of 11:00 on June 26, six people have died within the county.
The state-run Chinese media Xinhua News Agency reported that the peak flow of the flood reached 11,360 cubic meters per second, causing streets, shops, and residential areas in Rongjiang County to be inundated. Initial statistics from Rongjiang County show that as of 10:30 on June 24, the flood has affected 29,499 people throughout the county.
On June 25, according to reports from Fengmian News, the floodwaters in the Xin Cheng District of Rongjiang County have receded, leaving the small town in ruins: the entire city is without water and electricity, mobile phone signals are intermittent, hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets are closed, and the streets are covered with layers of mud up to 10 centimeters thick. Many roadside businesses have started cleaning up the mud, but the heavy accumulation makes the cleaning process challenging.
Reportedly, the “Village Super” football field in Rongjiang, once covered with lush green grass, is now buried under more than 10 centimeters of mud after the flood. Some of the seating in the stands is scattered haphazardly across the field, a testament to the ferocity of the flood.
After the floodwaters receded, debris such as tables, chairs, and bottles from the “Food Comes First Dong Village” restaurant outside the “Village Super” football field in Rongjiang were strewn across the premises. The owner, Hu Bihuan, looked at the mess in her shop with a helpless expression, saying, “I don’t know how to clean up the shop after it has been flooded like this.”
She estimates that the damage amounts to tens of thousands of yuan, including three refrigerators, a disinfection cabinet, recently purchased ingredients, and beverages that are all unusable due to the flood.
The county’s largest shopping mall, Changchi Plaza, saw the floodwaters receding around its perimeter, but areas of the Heli Supermarket on the negative first floor remain submerged.
At the entrance of Changchi Plaza, one of the hardest-hit businesses in this flood disaster is the “Tyrant Tea Princess” milk tea shop. Mr. Zhu, the owner, said, “We just opened on May 23, and in early June, I invested tens of thousands of yuan in raw materials, all of which were lost in the flood. Many of the equipment was damaged due to water exposure.” Mr. Zhu estimates his losses to be nearly 800,000 yuan due to this massive flood.
As night fell that day, local electricity supply had not fully recovered, and some roadside businesses had to rely on candles for lighting.
On June 26, Xinhua News Agency reported that according to the flood control command center in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province, as of 11:00 on the 26th, the flood disaster has claimed the lives of six people within the county. However, given the Chinese Communist Party’s tendency to conceal the truth, the actual situation may be even more severe.