The death toll in Shimen County, located in central China’s Hunan Province, has reached seven, with 14 individuals still unaccounted for due to heavy rainfall. The downpour, which began on Sunday at 7 a.m., marks the first instance of torrential rain in the county this year. As a result, 23 townships and districts have been impacted, according to the municipal emergency management bureau of Changde City, which oversees Shimen.
Search and rescue operations are actively ongoing in the affected area, with a focus on locating the missing individuals. Concurrently, efforts are being made to repair damaged infrastructure and ensure that essential daily needs are met for the residents affected by the inclement weather. The National Development and Reform Commission has responded by promptly allocating 50 million yuan (approximately 7.31 million US dollars) from the central government’s investment budget to support emergency recovery endeavors in Hunan Province following the floods.
In addition to the casualties and property losses incurred in Hunan, the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) has dispatched 15,000 units of disaster relief supplies to Hubei Province. These supplies, including summer quilts, folding tables and chairs, and household emergency kits, are intended to aid in resettling affected residents, providing relief assistance, and ensuring their basic living requirements are met. The allocation of these supplies was facilitated by the national commission for disaster prevention, reduction, and relief, the MEM, and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.
Southern and central regions of China have experienced heavy rainfall in recent days, leading to floods and geological disasters. To address the situation, China has allocated 120 million yuan (about 17.5 million US dollars) to five provincial-level regions, namely Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, and Guizhou, to support relief efforts.
