Storm set to inflict more misery on central China

Typhoon In-Fa bearing down on Henan which has just experienced historic deluge

Left: People riding on a front loader as they made their way through a flooded road following heavy rainfall in Zhengzhou, China's Henan province, yesterday. PHOTO: REUTERS Below: A road damaged by severe flooding and a landslide in the county-level
People riding on a front loader as they made their way through a flooded road following heavy rainfall in Zhengzhou, China's Henan province, yesterday. PHOTO: REUTERS
Left: People riding on a front loader as they made their way through a flooded road following heavy rainfall in Zhengzhou, China's Henan province, yesterday. PHOTO: REUTERS Below: A road damaged by severe flooding and a landslide in the county-level
A road damaged by severe flooding and a landslide in the county-level Gongyi city, near Zhengzhou, on Thursday. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

ZHENGZHOU • Villagers were evacuated over makeshift bridges yesterday as floods submerged swathes of central China, following a historic deluge which claimed at least 51 lives, while an approaching typhoon threatened to dump more rain on the area.

Millions have been affected by the floods in Henan province, which trapped people for days, leaving them without fresh food or water, pulverising roads as they breached embankments and caking whole areas in thick mud.

Adding to the misery, Typhoon In-Fa is forecast to bring further torrential downpours to parts of Henan in the coming days after its expected landfall along the east coast of China, state media said.

In Zhengzhou, the worst-hit city, firefighters yesterday continued to pump muddy water from tunnels, including a subway where at least 12 people drowned inside a train earlier this week as a year's worth of rainfall fell in just three days.

A front-loader digger carried people in its scoop across still-flooded streets as the retreating water left behind a thick treacle of ankle-deep mud in other parts of the city.

Overnight heavy rain saw floods surge northwards to Xinxiang and its surrounding areas, where vast swathes of farmland were inundated and the town cut off as the Wei River burst its banks.

Aerial footage showed rescuers using temporary bridges to move hundreds of residents to safety, with treetops poking above the water the only sign of land for miles.

As at noon yesterday, more than 395,000 people have been evacuated, and the flooding has caused losses of more than 65 billion yuan (S$13.6 billion).

Mr Liang Long, an employee at a hotel in a city neighbouring Xinxiang, said hundreds of people had arrived seeking refuge since Thursday and through the night.

"Their villages have been flattened with nothing left," he said.

The hotel, which is about 20km from the worst-hit areas, was still receiving continuous calls for help, Mr Liang said. "There are many people and our hotel's food is running low."

Videos shared over social media have provided a raw window into the destructive power of the floods, which tossed cars into piles and sucked pedestrians towards drains.

Harrowing footage from rush-hour passengers showed them trapped inside the subway, where the water rose from ankle to neck height.

Meteorologists are anxiously watching the progress of Typhoon In-Fa, which has dumped heavy rainfall on Taiwan and the east coast of China. It is expected to make landfall tomorrow in an area home to tens of millions of people.

"After landing, In-Fa may circulate in the east China region, bringing long periods of extremely heavy rainfall," the National Meteorological Centre said.

During high tides, "coastal areas should guard against the combined impact of wind, rain and tides", it added.

Meanwhile, questions are being asked about how China's bulging cities could be better prepared for freak weather events, which experts say are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change.

Henan province is marked by rivers, dams and reservoirs, many constructed decades ago to manage the flow of floodwater and irrigate the agricultural region.

State media has rebuked suggestions that dams played a part in subverting the normal flow of water.

Stories of remarkable survival and tragedy have emerged as floods retreat from southern parts of Henan, with a baby dug out alive from a collapsed house while her mother died in the debris.

Locals in Gongyi, located in central Henan, recounted stories of being pulled from flooded homes to safety or scrambling to higher floors unable to flee.

A 16-year-old student surnamed Zhang, whose house was completely flooded, said: "We couldn't evacuate in time because my elderly disabled grandma couldn't leave the house."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 24, 2021, with the headline Storm set to inflict more misery on central China. Subscribe