Tropical storm Bilis landed in China last Friday and triggered heavy rainfall
and serious floods in Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi.
More than 1.7 million residents had been evacuated over the past weekend,
according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Hunan Province is the worst-hit province where 92 people have been confirmed
dead and more than 100 are missing. Floods and rainstorms also claimed 43 lives
in Fujian Province and 44 in Guangdong.
The floods are expected to affect Changsha, capital city of Hunan, on Tuesday
night, forcing the evacuation of nearly 4,000 people. More than 2 million
soldiers and local residents have been mobilized to fight against the possible
flooding along the bank of the major river sections in the city. About 380,000
cubic meters of rocks and large amount of flood-control materials were prepared
to curb the floodwater.
As the tropical storm is dying down and moving westward to Guizhou and Yunnan
provinces, high temperatures are estimated to arrive in Hunan and Fujian in the
coming week, according to local meteorological stations.
The peak temperature is expected to be 40 degrees Celsius in Hunan and 39
degrees Celsius in Fujian.
Traffic had resumed on the flood-ravaged trunk railway linking Beijing and
Guangzhou by midday on Tuesday after the efforts of more than 5,000 workers to
fix damage over the past three days, the Guangzhou Railway Group said.
By 6:18 p.m., railway workers had repaired all damaged sections along the
railway, but normal operation will resume at a later date due to the high water
level along some sections.
Floods and rainstorms had disrupted part of the north-to-south artery and
thousands of passengers were stranded along the route.
Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Tuesday urged officials to continue their
efforts in flood control and disaster relief.
The government regards the current flood control task as its top priority,
Hui said during an inspection tour of Hunan Province, the worst-hit province.
Hui, also head of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters,
led an inspection tour in Hunan on Tuesday, calling for continuous efforts in
flood control, resettlement of affected people and rebuilding of destroyed
houses.
The vice premier said storm-ravaged areas still face great challenges, asking
governments at all levels to take effective measures to prevent more possible
disasters and ensure the safety of major rivers and reservoirs in flood season.
The Ministry of Finance approved 65 million yuan (8.125 million U.S. dollars)
to fund disaster relief efforts in Hunan, Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangxi
provinces.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs has successively activated grade-4 and grade-3
of an emergency response mechanism to provide relief to the disaster zones.
In line with the mechanism, two vice-ministers of civil affairs, Li Liguo and
Dou Yupei, have led joint work groups representing the Ministry of Civil
Affairs, Ministry of Finance and several other departments to Hunan and Fujian
to guide relief efforts.
Bilis claimed at least 14 lives in the Luzon region of the Philippines before
landing in China, according to Philippine disaster officials.
