21 killed, Beijing flooded as China sees highest rainfall in 140 years

By Associated Press: China’s capital has recorded its heaviest rainfall in not less than 140 years over the previous few days as remnants of Typhoon Doksuri deluged the area, turning streets into canals the place emergency crews used rubber boats to rescue stranded residents.

The metropolis recorded 744.8 millimeters (29.3 inches) of rain between Saturday and Wednesday morning, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau mentioned Wednesday.

Beijing and the encompassing province of Hebei had been hit by extreme flooding due to the document rainfall, with waters rising to harmful ranges. The rain destroyed roads and knocked out energy and even pipes carrying ingesting water. It flooded rivers surrounding the capital, leaving vehicles waterlogged, whereas lifting others onto bridges meant for pedestrians.

The variety of confirmed deaths from the torrential rains round Beijing rose to 21 on Wednesday after the physique of a rescuer was recovered. Wang Hong-chun, 41, was with different rescuers in a rubber boat when it flipped over in a quickly flowing river. Four of her teammates survived.

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At least 26 folks stay lacking from the rains.

Among the toughest hit areas is Zhuozhou, a small metropolis in Hebei province that borders Beijing’s southwest. On Tuesday night time, police there issued a plea on social media for lights to help with rescue work.

Rescue groups traversed the flooded metropolis in rubber boats as they evacuated residents who had been caught of their houses with out operating water, fuel or electrical energy since Tuesday afternoon.

“I didn’t think it would be that severe, I thought it was just a little bit of water and that it would recede,” mentioned 54-year-old Wang Huiying. She ended up spending the night time on the third flooring of her constructing because the water seeped into the primary flooring, which holds her steamed bread store. All the equipment is now underwater.

It’s unknown how many individuals are trapped in flood-stricken areas within the metropolis and surrounding villages. Rescue groups from different provinces got here to Zhuozhou to help with evacuations.

“We have to grasp every second, every minute to save people,” mentioned Zhong Hongjun, the pinnacle of a rescue staff from coastal Jiangsu province. Zhong mentioned he had been working since 2 a.m. Wednesday after they arrived, and expects to work into the night time. They’ve rescued about 200 folks to this point. “A lot of the people we saved are elderly and children,” he mentioned.

On Wednesday, waters in Gu’an county in Hebei, which borders Zhuozhou, reached as excessive as midway up a pole the place a surveillance digicam was put in.

Gu’an county resident Liu Jiwen, 58, was evacuated from his village on Tuesday night time. “There’s nothing we can do. It’s natural disaster,” he mentioned.

Two different folks had been attempting to move via the flooded areas to rescue a relative trapped in a close-by village.

Nearly 850,000 folks have been relocated, native authorities in Hebei province mentioned.

The earlier document for rainfall was in 1891, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau mentioned Wednesday, when town acquired 609 millimeters (24 inches) of rain. The earliest exact measurements made by machines are from 1883.

Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, known as the current rainfall “extreme.” Last 12 months’s whole rainfall in Beijing didn’t even prime 500 millimeters (19.6 inches).

Ma mentioned there must be a evaluate of how cities are deliberate as a result of some locations expertise repeat flooding. “We need to avoid building large-scale construction … in low-lying areas,” Ma mentioned.

The document rainfall from Doksuri, now downgraded to a tropical storm, might not be the final. Typhoon Khanun, which lashed Japan on Wednesday, is anticipated to move towards China later this week. The highly effective storm, with floor winds of as much as 180 kph (111 mph), can also hit Taiwan earlier than it reaches China.

Thousands of individuals had been evacuated to shelters in faculties and different public buildings in suburban Beijing and in close by cities. The central authorities is disbursing 44 million yuan ($6.1 million) for catastrophe reduction in affected provinces.

The severity of the flooding took the Chinese capital abruptly. Beijing often has dry summers however had a stretch of record-breaking warmth this 12 months.