Recent heavy rainfall in the central and southern regions of China has caused flooding, affecting over a million people in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The areas hit by the floodwaters are submerged, presenting a devastating sight.
According to the website of the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, the “First Flood of 2024 on the Yangtze River” formed on the afternoon of June 28 due to continuous heavy rainfall since June 25.
By 11:40 pm on July 1, the water level at the HanKou hydrological station on the main stream of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River had risen to 27.31 meters, exceeding the warning level by 0.01 meters. This led to a widespread occurrence of floodwater exceeding the warning level from Dongting Lake in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River downstream of Lianhuatang.
Forecasts suggest that water levels in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will continue to rise until around July 5, and the flood may persist until mid-July. The areas with water levels above the warning level are numerous, with an extended duration of flooding, large deviations from the warning level in some areas, and the current flood control situation remains very severe.
Provinces like Jiangxi, Anhui, and Hunan have been severely affected by the floods. As of the night of June 30, over 800,000 people in Anhui and 1.014 million people in Jiangxi have been affected, with residents urgently in need of rescue and assistance.
On July 1, Pingjiang County in Yueyang, Hunan, experienced flooding, turning the streets into waterways, illustrating the extent of the disaster in the region.