The city of Huangshan in East China's Anhui Province suffers severe flooding on June 20, 2024. Photo: VCG

Multiple places in East China's Anhui Province have issued red alerts for geological disasters and torrential floods in mountains, low-lying areas and along rivers, with authorities in localities making all-out efforts to transfer and relocate affected residents, as a powerful, windy, rainstorm continued to soak the province on Sunday. 

Meteorological warnings for geological disasters and torrential floods were successively issued on Friday by relevant departments in Anhui, including the Anhui Meteorological Service, the Department of Natural Resources of Anhui Province, the provincial water resources department and the provincial emergency management department. 

According to the meteorological warnings, Yuexi county in Anqing city, Jinzhai county and Huoshan county in Lu'an city were warned of a high risk of flash floods in mountainous areas between Friday evening and Saturday evening. 

Additionally, orange alerts for geological disasters were issued for the entire city of Huangshan, Qianshan, Yuexi and Taihu counties in Anqing city, as well as counties such as Jinzhai and Huoshan in Lu'an city, urging them to prepare to transfer people trapped in dangerous situations. 

The Anhui Meteorological Service on Sunday forecasted heavy rains in the areas along the southern banks of the Yangtze River between Sunday evening and Monday morning, reminding the public of the risk of flooding in the mountains, geological disasters, and urban waterlogging that could be caused by the rainfall. Meanwhile, the meteorological authority continued to issue a red alert for rainstorms in Xiuning county, Huangshan city. 

Relevant departments in the province sustained alerts for geological disasters and torrential mountain floods on Sunday afternoon, with a yellow alert issued for mountain flash floods in Shexian county, Xiuning county, the Tunxi district and the Huizhou district in Huangshan city between Sunday evening and Monday evening. 

An official from the Shexian publicity department told the Global Times on Sunday that the heavy rainfall was continuing in the county on Sunday. Evacuations of affected residents in local villages and towns that started the previous night were still underway on Sunday. An assessment of property loss suffered by residents has not yet been completed. 

On Saturday evening, multiple departments in Anhui issued alerts for torrential mountain floods and geological disasters. The entire area of Huangshan city, Dongzhi county in Chizhou city and Jixi county in Xuancheng city issued red alerts for mountain flash floods between Saturday evening and Sunday evening. 

Shexian county in Huangshan issued a red alert for torrential mountain floods on Saturday evening, with authorities in localities taking prompt action and working through the night to relocate and resettle residents from all affected sites such as low-lying areas, areas alongside rivers and streams and hillside housing areas to ensure the security of people's lives and property. 

Local authorities in Shexian county arranged for affected residents from 28 villages, towns and the economic development zone to shelter at their relatives' homes or resettled them at hotels or village committee offices. The authorities also sent staff members to help relocate the elderly and children, according to media reports. 

The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters issued orders to Anqing and Lu'an cities to relocate personnel in hazardous areas such as areas with high risk of flash floods, low-lying areas along rivers, areas downstream of reservoir spillways, tourist attractions near mountains or waters, and urban and rural waterlogging points. As of 6 am on Saturday, a total of 5,430 people had been relocated. 

The China Meteorological Administration launched a Level II emergency response to major meteorological rainstorm disasters on Sunday afternoon, as China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast that the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will experience a concentrated period of rainfall, with prolonged duration, large cumulative precipitation, and a high risk of disasters. 

The NMC continued to issue an orange alert for rainstorms on Sunday, forecasting that the "plum rain" in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is expected to intensify, while multiple days of heavy rain are expected in areas such as Southwest China's Guizhou Province, the northern part of the Jiangnan area, the southern part of the Jianghan area, and the southern part of the Jianghuai area, with some regions experiencing torrential rainfall and extreme rainstorms.