Heavy Rains Bring Death, Evacuations in Guangdong

This past Saturday, Xinyi, a county-level city in Guangdong province, was inundated with close to 430 millimeters of rain in only six hours. Eight people died and four went missing during the deluge, as officials declared the second-highest state of emergency for the city. It was said to be the worst bout of rainfall the area has seen in 200 years.

Although Xinyi was one of the hardest-hit areas, heavy rains also swept through the rest of southern China, leaving destruction in their wake. In Guangxi province, two died and 12,000 were forced to evacuate. The cost to the local economy, for all the crops and houses lost to the flood, is calculated to be RMB470 million.

Photos of the aftermath in Xinyi, Guangdong

Hunan Province has also suffered, with 18,000 people from 25 counties being evacuated from their homes. 

Aside from ruining people’s lives and livelihoods, the storms also wreaked havoc on traffic (as one would expect) and destroyed some expensive irrigation projects.

READ MORE: PHOTOS: Heavy Rains Flood Guangzhou

[Images via NetEase, Ycwb.com]