National Meteorological Center maintains yellow rain alert

The National Meteorological Center says it will maintain its yellow alert, warning residents of heavy rain, and possible secondary disasters.

The National Meteorological Center says that it will maintain its yellow alert, warning residents of heavy rain and possible secondary disasters. The heavy downpour started last Friday in southwest China and has moved to the country's south-east coastal areas.

Rain continues to fall in the southwestern city of Chongqing, and many districts and counties are seeing record amounts.

In Kaixian County, heavy rain has caused serious flooding in the heart of its urban core. Many street-side shops have been hit hard by severe flooding.

"The water came so quickly. It only took the flood 40 to 50 minutes to rise to almost 90 centimeters," a resident said.

"We couldn't get into our shop. When we got in, we found everything soaked in water. The fridge was floating," said another resident.

In the Chongqing's rural outskirts, only two weeks remain before the harvest season begins. But all the fields are ruined.

"Some say there was a similar disaster in 1982. But this is the first time I've seen flooding like this," said a resident.

In the Nanchuan area of Chongqing, heavy rain has caused several major roads to collapse. Local reconstruction teams have been working around the clock to repair the damaged roads.

"No. 104 provincial road was heavily damaged in more than 10 areas on Monday. Now our team has finished most of the repair work," said Li Gang, deputy director of Chongqing Nanchuan Highway Bureau.

As roads are reconnected, distant villages that were cut off, are now receiving food and water. But many areas are still without power.

"There are 11 villages with no power in the area. We are working to repair the network, and we hope to resume the electricity supply by Wednesday night," said Shi Xiaowen, deputy general manager of Chongqing Qinan Branch, National Grid.

Chongqing is not the only city to be hit by heavy downpours. According to a government report, rainstorms this summer have killed more than 300 people and affected 50 million in 28 provinces and regions. The rain has also led to total economic losses of more than 100 billion yuan.