Update: Over 53,000 people evacuated in central China amid heavy rainfall

CHANGSHA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Since the ongoing heavy rainfall in central China's Hunan Province began, more than 53,000 residents have been evacuated in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Zhangjiajie, Changde and Huaihua as of 5:00 p.m. Friday, the office of the provincial emergency management commission has said.

According to the local meteorological department, parts of the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Huaihua, Zhangjiajie, Changde and Yiyang will experience rainstorms to torrential rains over the next three days, with isolated areas seeing extremely heavy rain.

The provincial departments of finance and emergency management on Friday urgently allocated 30 million yuan (about 4.18 million U.S. dollars) in flood control and disaster relief funds, with priority support directed to Changde, Zhangjiajie and the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture for evacuation and relocation, hazard elimination, and emergency remediation efforts.

On Thursday, the office of the provincial emergency management commission deployed a 27-member communication support team equipped with six vehicles. The team was carrying over 100 sets of emergency communication equipment and three communication drones, and pre-positioned them in the counties of Shimen, Longshan, Sangzhi and Yuanling to ensure communication capabilities. Additionally, two task forces were dispatched to guide local disaster relief and damage assessment efforts in affected areas.

The China National Fire and Rescue Administration has also deployed 230 personnel and 43 rescue vehicles to Sangzhi and Longshan to undertake emergency operations. A total of 280 firefighters, 78 fire trucks and 40 rescue boats have been mobilized from across Hunan to reinforce emergency services in Zhangjiajie and the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture amid rising floodwaters triggered by torrential rainfall.

To ensure railway safety during severe weather, the Guangzhou Railway Group, which is responsible for railway operations in Hunan, suspended operations of certain trains on the Chongqing-Xiamen high-speed railway in the province on Friday.

Starting Saturday, additional train suspensions will be implemented on certain routes within Hunan. Local railway authorities will dynamically adjust train operation plans based on weather variations.

Since Wednesday night, rainstorms to torrential rains have battered Zhangjiajie, the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Changde, Huaihua, Yiyang and Shaoyang, with some areas experiencing extreme downpours. Notably, four townships in the Sangzhi and Longshan counties have recorded precipitation exceeding 400 millimeters.

The provincial meteorological bureau elevated its emergency response measures for meteorological disasters resulting from rainstorms from Level III to Level II at 6:00 p.m. Thursday.

The provincial emergency management commission also issued a notice on Thursday evening, stating that it had elevated its flood control emergency response from Level IV to Level III from 9:00 p.m. Thursday.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. The national emergency response system also has four tiers, with Level I being the highest. ■