East China’s Jiangxi Province has beefed up its flood control and disaster relief measures to ensure people’s safety and minimize economic losses as torrential rain continues to batter multiple areas in the province, raising water levels.
The continuous heavy rainfall triggered two landslides on the banks of a canal in a village of Gongqingcheng City in the province on Monday and Tuesday, but both were promptly and effectively addressed.
The city’s emergency management bureau quickly deployed a small excavator, more than 100 wooden stakes, and other flood prevention materials such as tri-color waterproof cloth to the site and implemented a strategy of using wooden stakes to reinforce the canal banks.
The rising waters of the Yangtze River has also posed a direct threat to the safety of residents in the two towns on the Jiangxinzhou islet — an island at the intersection of three provinces of Hubei, Jiangxi and Anhui that measures 127 square kilometers — as well as the crops on the farmland over 60,000 hectares, in Chaisang District of Jiujiang City.
To cope with the flood situation, the district initiated a level I emergency response on Tuesday afternoon. Local officials visited households one by one, asking residents to be prepared for evacuation at any time.
According to the requirements of the level I emergency response, once the water level at the Jiujiang station on the Yangtze River reaches 22 meters, residents in both towns on the islet should begin to evacuate in batches.
As of 11:00 on Tuesday, the water level at the Jiujiang station had reached 21.62 meters.
As the water levels continue to rise, Jiujiang City on Tuesday raised its flood control emergency response to level II.
Due to continuous heavy rainfall, low-lying areas in towns and villages in Duchang County near the Poyang Lake experienced waterlogging. Local officials have taken precautions by preemptively relocating villagers from high-risk areas.
The heavy rainfall also led to waterlogging in multiple villages in De’an County, flooding streets and stranding local residents.
De’an County promptly mobilized rescue teams and deployed rubber boats to evacuate stranded villagers to safety.
