HUNAN: Typhoon Gaemi swept through central China’s Hunan Province on Saturday, bringing record-high precipitation to the county-level city of Zixing.

According to a report from China Central Television (CCTV), two meteorological stations in Zixing recorded 487.5 mm of rainfall over a 12-hour period on Saturday morning and 670 mm over a 24-hour period from Friday night to Saturday night. These amounts set new records for the highest rainfall ever recorded in the province.

To ensure the safety of the dam and protect the lives and property of people, Zixing’s Dongjiang Reservoir released floodwater at a high rate of 2,500 cubic meters per second on Saturday.

12 towns in Chenzhou, a prefecture-level city above Zixing, were without telecommunications and 16 without electricity.

Villagers in Chenzhou were trapped in their houses, and some were swept away by the flooding river, but fortunately, all were rescued.

On Sunday, the provincial capital, Changsha, issued a red alert for heavy rainfall, the highest leve
l in China’s four-tier rain warning system. It also raised the flood response from level IV to level III.

Severe road flooding in several areas of Changsha has been significantly disrupting transportation.

Source: Emirates News Agency