China: Thousands Evacuated Due to Flooding in Sichuan Province

Over 100,000 people Tuesday were evacuated from their homes in the Sichuan province due to floods hitting the region, which has triggered the highest level of emergency response.

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Continued rains caused 22 major rivers to exceed their flood alert threshold, flooding urban areas in cities such as Ya'an and Leshan.

In Yibin city, where 26,000 people have also been evacuated, it is feared that the rains will overflow the Min River, the northern river head of the Yangtze.

“It is the worst flood in the area in 50 years,” local CCTV station reported, showing images of residents cleaning mud and debris from their houses with shovels and brooms after the arrival of water torrents, which have also blocked roads and streets in the region.

Likewise, water levels in streams on the Baishuijiang, Baihe, and Tangzhu rivers have surpassed their all-time highs, with levees broken in some sections.

The floods even covered the feet of the UNESCO World Heritage Leshan Giant Buddha statue on the outskirts of the Leshan city, the first time that has happened since 1949.

Although rains are leaving Sichuan, they persist in other regions such as Shaanxi, which also raised their emergency response level.

On Tuesday, the central flood control authority asked local officials to activate emergency plans in case the rains continue to hit areas surrounding the Yangtze.

The coastal province of Anhui received an unexpected visit from China’s President Xi Jinping, who inspected the area and was briefed on the relief measures put in place.

Meanwhile, emergency level 4 has been activated to face the arrival of Typhoon Higos, which is expected to cause flooding in the Hainan, Canton, Yunnan, and Guangxi provinces.