Rainfall in Guangdong triggers emergency measures

The Guangdong provincial government has urged cities and departments across the province to implement effective measures to prevent and respond to potential natural hazards triggered by continued heavy rainfall and storms in the coming days, after casualties were reported over the weekend.

Three people were killed, three others were injured and one person went missing following a landslide caused by heavy rain in Pingtougang village in Gaozhou, a city administered by Maoming in western Guangdong, according to a report from Xinhua News Agency.

The provincial meteorological department forecast that downpours and thunderstorms will persist in the days ahead. It also warned of mountain torrents, mudslides, landslides, flooding in small and medium-sized rivers, and urban and rural waterlogging.

Moderate to heavy rain, with some areas experiencing rainstorms or severe rainstorms, is expected to affect the cities of Shaoguan, Qingyuan, Maoming, Zhaoqing and Guangzhou on Tuesday. Rain will continue to hit Qingyuan, Zhaoqing and Guangzhou on Wednesday.

The extreme weather is not expected to ease until Saturday, the meteorological department said on Monday.

In Guangzhou, the provincial capital, authorities issued a yellow warning signal for thunderstorms and strong winds at noon on Monday.

The city has activated a Level IV emergency response for meteorological disasters, specifically thunderstorms and strong winds, and is now under the second-highest alert level for rainstorms.

Since Friday, Guangdong has experienced a series of intense precipitation events, ranging from heavy rain to severe rainstorms. In Chengcun township in Yangxi county, western Guangdong, cumulative rainfall reached nearly 600 millimeters on Saturday, according to the provincial water conservancy department.

The coastal province, which is frequently hit by typhoons during the summer, officially entered its flood season on Friday.

Relevant departments and localities have been urged to make adequate preparations, the department said.

As of noon on Monday, a total of 160 households with 182 people have been relocated while 13 people who were once trapped by the flood have been rescued and evacuated in the province, according to the Guangdong provincial department of emergency management.

Wu Cuiqiong, a housewife in Guangzhou's Yuexiu district, said she was drenched while shopping for groceries on Sunday.

"I think it's been the biggest rainfall of this summer," she said. "It fell so heavily and suddenly that many pedestrians were caught off guard as they didn't take umbrellas when they went out."