Continuous heavy rain has pushed Rongjiang county in Guizhou to flood levels not seen in 30 years, submerging much of the city.
The county's flood control and drought relief headquarters reported on Tuesday that persistent rainfall, combined with rising water upstream, had driven several rivers rapidly past the "once-in-30-years" flood threshold.
Floodwaters submerge the urban area of Rongjiang at about noon on June 24. [Photo by Wu Hanjun/For chinadaily.com.cn]
At noon on Tuesday, the Rongjiang government raised the flood alert to its highest level and predicted that water levels would peak at 255 meters around 1:00 pm, 3.5 meters above the guaranteed safety mark.
Floodwaters submerge the urban area of Rongjiang at about noon on June 24. [Photo by Wu Hanjun/For chinadaily.com.cn]
An evacuation order directed residents in most of the old town and parts of the new urban district to move to higher-ground shelters by 9:00 am.
"The rain has stopped now, but the floodwaters are still quite high and expected to rise," resident Wu Hanjun told China Daily at 3:30 pm.
Aerial footage captured at midday on Tuesday shows some areas of the city underwater, and multiple social-media videos reveal that the famous Village Super League football field has also been inundated.
The People's Armed Police Force nearby has arrived with life jackets and assault boats to carry out disaster relief.
Floodwaters submerge the urban area of Rongjiang at about noon on June 24. [Photo by Wu Hanjun/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Floodwaters submerge the urban area of Rongjiang at about noon on June 24. [Photo by Wu Hanjun/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Floodwaters submerge the urban area of Rongjiang at about noon on June 24. [Photo by Wu Hanjun/For chinadaily.com.cn]
