In recent days, multiple areas in southwestern China’s Guizhou province have been hit by heavy rainstorms, triggering massive floods and forcing over 80,000 people to evacuate their homes. Wherever the floodwaters reached, it has turned into a vast expanse of water, with the situation being extremely severe. Official reports indicate that as of 11:00 AM on June 26th, six people have lost their lives in the severely affected Rongjiang County.
From June 20th to 21st, due to continuous heavy rainfall and the added impact of upstream water inflow, water levels in several rivers within Rongjiang County in Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, have been rapidly rising. It is anticipated that the flood levels have exceeded the once-in-three-decades level. According to reports from the official Chinese media Xinhua News Agency, the maximum peak flow rate of this flood reached 11,360 cubic meters per second, leading to the inundation of multiple low-lying areas in the county, severe damage to some town’s infrastructure, and occurrences of blocked transportation, communication disruptions, as well as residents being trapped.
Another severely affected area is the downstream Congjiang County in Rongjiang County. As of the afternoon of the 24th, more than 80,000 people in Guizhou Province have been forced to flee their homes.
The Guizhou Provincial Meteorological Bureau announced on the 25th that in the next two days, a line stretching from the northeast to the central part of the southwest of Guizhou will experience heavy rainfall, ranging from heavy to torrential rain, with some areas even expected to face severe downpours. Local meteorological departments have issued warnings, cautioning about a new round of heavy rains covering areas that were heavily affected during the previous period. With the soil already saturated, there is a high risk of secondary disasters such as flash floods, landslides, and mudslides.
According to a report from Xinhua News Agency, the Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province, stated that as of 11:00 AM on the 26th, six people have lost their lives in the county due to the flood disaster. However, given the Communist Party’s tendency to conceal the truth, the actual situation may be more severe than reported.