After Guangdong, heavy to extreme rainfall has been continuously hitting multiple areas in Hunan province, breaking historical records of precipitation. A total of 310 reservoirs across the province have experienced overflow, leading to flooding in Zhangjiajie, Longshan County in Xiangxi, causing casualties.
According to the forecast from the Hunan Provincial Meteorological Bureau, since June 18, northern and southern Xiangxi have been facing heavy rainfall. As of 2 p.m. on June 20, the average rainfall in the province was 41.5 millimeters, with Zhangjiajie city receiving 282.6 millimeters, Xiangxi prefecture 99.6 millimeters, and Changde city 96.7 millimeters. Several counties and cities, including Changde (Shimen County, Li County), Xiangxi Prefecture (Longshan), Zhangjiajie (Sangzhi, Wulingyuan District), saw hourly rain intensity or daily rainfall breaking local record highs.
Due to the heavy rainfall, the main stream of the Li River in Sangzhi County has exceeded the warning level, and the main stream of the Li River’s northern source at Liangshuikou Station and the Guali River, a primary tributary of the Yu River in Longshan County, reached the highest water levels since the establishment of the stations. Currently, there are a total of 310 reservoirs in the province overflowing.
A villager from Xixiping Village in Yongding District, Zhangjiajie, told NTD that several towns in Zhangjiajie have been submerged by floodwaters for two days straight with no sign of receding. Without government rescue efforts, villagers have had to seek shelter in high places.
Mr. Wang, a villager from Fengxiangang Village in Yongding District, revealed that “several power stations are releasing floodwaters, causing misery for the ordinary people. The Hua Yan Power Station in Li River is releasing floodwaters, the dam has been breached, no need to open the gate, the water just overflowed directly without needing to open the gate. If the power station collapses, the center of Zhangjiajie city will be devastated.”
According to the Jiupai News, on the night of June 19, the underground parking lot of the Longling International Community in Longshan County, Xiangxi Prefecture, was flooded, resulting in several vehicle owners going missing while relocating their vehicles. Preliminary verification confirmed that four people were missing. One woman was rescued after being trapped for 22 hours and saved at 4:35 a.m. on June 20. By 12:30 p.m. on the same day, the other three missing persons were also found but had unfortunately passed away.
The rescued woman, Ms. Qu, said that when the river water flooded the underground parking lot, she had to lie on a firefighting pipe where there was a small space above the water level. She could no longer sustain that position as the water level decreased, so she eventually climbed onto the car roof to await rescue.
Ms. Qu’s niece mentioned that upon hearing the news of her aunt’s rescue, she and her cousin immediately rushed to the hospital. They saw that her aunt’s hands and feet had turned white due to being immersed in water. Ms. Qu still requires observation at the hospital.
Reported by Hunan Daily, as of 5 p.m. on June 20, over 53,000 residents have been relocated from Xiangxi Prefecture, Zhangjiajie City, Changde City, and Huaihua City.
The Hunan Meteorological Bureau forecasts that over the next three days, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Zhangjiajie, Changde, Huaihua, Yiyang, Yueyang, and other regions in Hunan will continue to experience heavy to extreme rainfall, with some areas expecting severe downpours.