Hours of heavy rain have turned several vast regions of China into breathtaking scenes that look like something out of a Hollywood disaster movie, after massive and devastating flooding swept across cities and towns, leaving dozens dead and missing and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate en masse amid dire warnings that the scope of the disaster was widening.
Why did the streets turn into rushing rivers?
In the most shocking and surprising scene, a town in Hunan province recorded around 240mm of rain in just a few hours. After successfully breaking all previous digital and climate records in the region, China’s official media today (Wednesday) described the terrifying figures as “historic and unprecedented”.
As the water level rose abnormally and exceeded its capacity, the character of life disappeared, the streets became a torrent, washing away everything in its path, while the torrent submerged the ground floors of houses and uprooted important roads and bridges. At the time, rescue teams were rushing in using rubber boats and helicopters to extract thousands of stranded people from the middle of the devastated and isolated region.
Floods have killed five people and killed 11 others in Hunan province alone, with the initial toll likely to rise further, according to Chinese state television, with more than 19,000 people forced to evacuate and flee their homes to escape the torrents that quickly engulfed villages and towns.
The weather damage was not limited to Hunan’s borders; neighboring Hubei province witnessed horrifying and chaotic scenes, with road signs completely disappearing under huge puddles, dozens of old houses destroyed, communication and power networks cut off in large areas, and new deaths and missing persons recorded.
In Guizhou province, located in the southwest of the country, torrential rains and associated debris flows have caused other casualties and displaced thousands of residents, while local reports have confirmed that some areas have been completely isolated from the outside world, with road networks leading to them destroyed and paralyzed.
This new humanitarian and environmental catastrophe comes as China faces a wave of extreme weather events. Catastrophic floods and record rainfall are hitting major cities without warning, renewing major international concerns about the devastating effects of climate change on the world’s most populous country and raising dire questions about whether the world’s infrastructure has become completely helpless in the face of nature’s wrath.
Hours of heavy rain turned several vast parts of China into breathtaking scenes resembling Hollywood disaster movies, with devastating floods sweeping across cities and towns, leaving dozens dead and missing and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate amid dire warnings of more disaster.
Why did the streets turn into torrents?
One of the most shocking and surprising scenes was when a town in Hunan province recorded nearly 240mm of rain in just a few hours, a terrifying figure today (Wednesday) described by official Chinese media as “historic and unprecedented” and breaking all previous digital and climate records in the region.
As the water level rose uncontrollably and exceeded its capacity, all traces of life disappeared, the streets turned into torrents, washing away everything in their path, the floodwaters inundating the first floors of houses and uprooting important roads and bridges. Rescue teams rushed in using rubber boats and helicopters to rescue thousands of people stranded in isolated disaster-hit areas.
According to Chinese state television, five people were killed and 11 missing in Hunan province alone in the floods, and the initial toll is likely to rise further, with more than 19,000 people evacuated and forced to flee their homes to escape the raging waters that quickly engulfed villages and towns.
Weather-related damage did not stop in Hunan province, and neighboring Hubei province witnessed horrific scenes of chaos, with roads completely obliterated under huge pools of water, dozens of old houses destroyed, communication and power networks cut off in vast areas, and new casualties and missing persons reported.
Torrential rains and associated landslides caused further casualties and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents in the country’s southwestern Guizhou province, while local reports confirmed that some areas were completely cut off from the outside world with the road network leading to them destroyed and paralyzed.
This new humanitarian and environmental disaster comes as China faces an unusually successful weather pattern, with devastating floods and record rainfall increasingly hitting major cities without warning, renewing international concerns about the devastating effects of climate change on the world’s most populous country, and raising the dire question: Has the world’s infrastructure become completely powerless against the wrath of nature?
