China intensifies flood management and disaster response.
China has intensified its flood control and disaster relief efforts nationwide in response to recent heavy rainfall challenges. The National Committee for Disaster Reduction and Relief declared a Level 4 emergency response on Monday for severe rainstorm and flood disasters in Fujian and Guangdong provinces. Task forces are deployed to assess local conditions, guide relief efforts, and ensure residents’ basic needs are met. Additionally, 10,000 family emergency kits have been allocated to the affected areas. The Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration are collaborating in these efforts.
In Guangdong’s Meizhou, power outages and internet disruptions have occurred due to heavy rainfall since Sunday, leading to flooding and other disasters. As of Tuesday, five fatalities and 15 missing persons were reported. Water levels in the Meijiang and Hanjiang rivers are gradually receding, prompting the easing of emergency responses from Level 1 to Level 2.
Similarly, in Wuping, Fujian province, where a rainstorm caused four deaths and two people went missing, the county-level emergency response has been downgraded from the highest to the second-highest level. Parts of Nanping, Sanming, Ningde cities, and other areas of Longyan have also been affected.
The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration have issued a second-highest alert for mountain torrents in northern Guangxi, warning of a high risk of flash flooding.
Looking ahead, meteorologists expect decreased precipitation in Fujian and Guangdong as the western Pacific subtropical high strengthens and moves northward. However, concentrated rainfall is anticipated in the central and lower reaches of the Yangtze River through the end of the month, particularly affecting southern Guizhou, northern Guangxi, northern Hunan, eastern Hubei, northeastern Jiangxi, southern Anhui, and southern Jiangsu.
Jia Xiaolong from the National Climate Center warned of increased extreme weather events and flooding due to the lagging effects of the El Niño phenomenon, affecting the eastern monsoon region with above-average precipitation and heightened flood risks.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced a 443 million yuan ($61 million) allocation to seven northern provinces to mitigate drought-induced crop damage caused by heat and insufficient rainfall. Funds will support agricultural drought-resistant measures such as watering, soil moisture replenishment, crop conversion, and additional fertilization during the critical summer sowing stage.
As weather patterns shift, Wang Weiyue, a meteorological analyst at China Weather, advised preparations against sudden shifts between droughts and floods in South China, with certain areas expected to face increased rainfall and potential flood risks.
Efforts remain focused on preventing secondary disasters like mountain floods, landslides, debris flows, and flooding in small and medium-sized rivers in affected regions.