But as others rushed for higher ground, the Liu family stayed at home, watching news of a possible massive flood in their area and sipping tea. 'We're waiting until the last moment,' said farmer Liu Zhenyang, 35. 'Then we'll run to the hills.'

A disaster-weary China is trying to evacuate 200,000 people from the path of the Tongkou River, which has swelled to near-bursting point after last month's earthquake triggered a landslide that blocked its flow. But after weeks of chaos, not everyone was in a hurry to be uprooted again.

Entire villages along the river were empty, sealed off by men in camouflage uniforms and orange life vests.

Deadlines to leave varied from noon to sunset. No one knew when, or even if, the lake would burst. A new channel to drain off the river had just been completed, but it was too soon to know if it was working.

In Jiuling village, the last of the residents rolled up their tents and departed on Sunday in a tractor full of green beans.

'The army came this morning. They told us to leave immediately,' said farmer Yue Chengdi, 58. But he wanted to check on his crops first.

Mr Yue walked to the edge of the river and pointed back towards the main road running south towards Sichuan province's capital, Chengdu. All the fields before the road could be flooded, including his own. 'There's nothing we can do. The government will repay us.'

The threat of quake-formed lakes bursting has complicated rescue efforts and uprooted thousands of people.

At the Tangjiashan quake lake on Fujiang River, things are under control after engineers dug a channel to drain the lake. Officials said water should start flowing out tomorrow. They were concerned that the lake would flood Mianyang, a city of five million about 50km away.

ASSOCIATED PRESS, BLOOMBERG