China Issues Level IV Emergency Response Amid Flood Threats in Multiple Provinces

On Saturday at 3:00 pm, China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters declared a Level IV emergency to counter the imminent flood threats in Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, and Chongqing provinces. Work teams have been deployed to the front lines in Anhui and Hubei to support flood prevention activities, as reported by China Central Television (CCTV).

The Ministry of Water Resources has also activated a Level IV flood-control emergency response across five provinces, including Henan, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Shaanxi. This comes in addition to maintaining the same response level for flood prevention efforts in Anhui and Gansu provinces. Forecasters predict heavy to torrential rains from August 9 to 11 in various areas, raising concerns about severe flooding, particularly in southern and central Anhui and Henan, as well as eastern Hubei and southern Shaanxi. Due to these anticipated storms, significant increases in water levels are expected in major rivers, which raise the potential for flooding across small and medium-sized waterways.

Li Guoying, the Deputy Commander of the National Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, emphasized the need for enhanced monitoring and early warning systems regarding rainfall and flood scenarios. The ministry convened a meeting on Saturday morning to further coordinate flood-control strategies in light of the impending heavy rains. Local agencies must adopt a proactive approach to flood prevention, focusing on hazard monitoring, timely alerts, and ensuring the safety of reservoirs and construction sites during this tempestuously active period.

Responding to the situation in Gansu Province, working groups have been dispatched to evaluate flash flood occurrences and assist in strategic disaster prevention planning. Since Thursday, the region has experienced devastating mountain torrents that have tragically resulted in 10 confirmed deaths and 33 individuals reported missing, primarily due to severe rain in Yuzhong County. Urgent repairs to damaged infrastructure are in progress, while relocation efforts have already established centralized shelters in hotels, schools, and administrative centers, currently accommodating nearly 10,000 displaced residents, according to CCTV reports.