Workers place sandbags on Friday to prevent storm-related flooding in Fengtai district, Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
As of noon on Friday, Beijing authorities have relocated 57,181 residents from 21,021 households as a precaution ahead of further heavy rain, according to the municipal flood control office.
The city also closed 180 tourist attractions and 176 campsites, while 4,311 rural homestays suspended operations.
The measures followed the activation of a Level IV flood-control emergency response for Beijing and Tianjin by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management. Level IV is the lowest in China's four-tier emergency response system.
Security guards from a local community lay sandbags on Friday to guard against potential rain in Fengtai district, Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The Beijing Water Authority has begun regulating reservoirs and rivers to create more room for incoming floodwaters. Twenty large and medium-sized reservoirs have about 500 million cubic meters of available storage below their flood-control limits, according to Beijing Daily.
Widespread heavy rain is forecast across Beijing from Friday afternoon through Saturday night, as moisture carried over long distances from Typhoon Bavi meets cold air. Heavy downpours are expected in Huairou, Miyun, Shunyi, Pinggu, and Fangshan districts.
As of 11 am Friday, Beijing had recorded an average accumulated rainfall of 8.4 millimeters, while the urban core averaged 2.4 mm, Beijing Transport Radio reported on its WeChat account. The highest total, 163.8 mm, was recorded at a peach market monitoring station in Pinggu, which also reported the city's highest hourly rainfall intensity.
