Due to the impact of Typhoon “Gemei” (translated as “Kaimi” in Taiwan) peripheral circulation, heavy rainfall has been reported in multiple areas in Hunan province, causing the water levels in rivers to rise sharply. As of noon on July 29th, three breaches have occurred in the section of the Juanshui River in Xiangtan County, with the breach at Xintang Village, Yisuhu Township widening to 77 meters. Over 4600 residents have been evacuated urgently.
Around 1:40 p.m. on July 29th, a breach occurred in the embankment of Huazhong Village, Yikou Town in Xiangtan County, with a length of over 30 meters. The extent of casualties and injuries is currently unknown.
Earlier on the evening of July 28th, a breach occurred around 8 p.m. at Xintang Village Guojiaqiao, Yisuhu Township in Xiangtan County, endangering farmland and houses of residents in nearby villages such as Xintang and Xinhujia. By 9:40 p.m. that day, the breach had widened to around 50 meters, and by 3:58 a.m. on the 29th, it had expanded to 77 meters.
With the escalating danger, around 3832 residents from the two affected villages needed to be evacuated around 7 a.m. on the 29th.
At approximately 6:40 p.m. on the 28th, a breach occurred in the embankment of Longtan Village, Liushuwan River in Huashi Town, Xiangtan County, with a length of around 10 meters. According to the official report from Hunan province, about 800 people who needed to be evacuated had been relocated to safe areas.
By around 3 p.m. on the 29th, the breach at Liushuwan had been successfully closed, and the accumulated water inside the embankment had been mostly drained, with the water level at Huashi Hydrological Station returning to normal.
According to The Paper, the first breach in Huashi Town is over 50 kilometers from the confluence of Juanshui and Xiang River, while the second breach in Yisuhu Township is located on the south bank of Juanshui, more than 17 kilometers from the Xiang River mouth. The third breach in Huazhong Village, Yikou Town is on the northern bank of Juanshui, adjacent to Yisuhu Township across the river.
Juanshui is a primary tributary of the Xiang River, originating from Changshan in Shuangfeng County (Jiufeng Mountain), flowing through Xinqiao and Baiguo in Hengshan County, entering Xiangtan City at Xiaonangang in Qingshanqiao Town, passing through Qingshanqiao, Huashi, Paitou, Jinshi, Shebu, Hekou, and Yisuhu Township, merging into the Xiang River at Guazhou in Zhuojiang Village, Yikou Town in Huazhong Town, offering a total length of 64.9 kilometers within Xiangtan County.