Thousands evacuated in Shaanxi

At least 20,000 people were evacuated after downpours resulted in the worst flooding in decades in Shaanxi province, flood control authorities said.

The northern part of the province was hit by heavy rain from Tuesday to Wednesday morning, with precipitation of up to 23.4 centimeters. The rainfall pushed water in the Wuding River, a tributary of the Yellow River, to its highest level since 1975.

The situation was even worse along the Dali River, a tributary of the Wuding, which saw its highest water level since 1960, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on Wednesday.

In Yulin, 20,000 people were evacuated and the government allocated 250 million yuan ($37 million) for flood control and rescue work, the headquarters said.

The headquarters launched a Level 2 emergency response, the second-highest level in the country's emergency response system, to help flood victims.

Shaanxi flood control authorities said the downpour brought floods to some areas in Suide and Zizhou counties in Yulin. A reservoir in Zizhou with a capacity of 370,000 cubic meters overflowed on Wednesday morning.

No casualties have been reported, and flooding in the two counties has receded, the headquarters said.

Torrential rain has battered the region since Tuesday, bringing disruptions to power supplies, telecommunications and the internet.

The rain also flooded parts of two railway lines.

As the front moves south, more precipitation is expected in the central parts of Shaanxi - 50 to 80 millimeters in some areas. The headquarters sent two teams to guide flood control work in northern Shaanxi, it said.

Meanwhile, the headquarters has warned coastal regions of a coming typhoon that has formed in the Philippines and is moving northward at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour.

"It's becoming stronger as it moves north and will mainly affect the East China Sea and South China Sea in coming days," it said.

The headquarters has sent notifications to the flood control authorities of eight provincial regions about four major water bodies that may be affected by the typhoon. It asked them to take precautionary measures.

"Emergency response plans should be rolled out in a timely manner," it said. "All fishing vessels should return to port, and other people working at sea should get back to land."

It also asked local flood control authorities to pay more attention to possible mountain torrents, mudrock flows and floods in small and medium-sized reservoirs that may result from rains associated with the typhoon.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 07/27/2017 page4)