Floods force 120,000 people to evacuate in China’s Shanxi

Rescuers evacuate residents previously trapped due to heavy rain in the Jinyuan district of Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province, on Oct 6, 2021. (PHOTO / CHINADAILY.COM.CN)

TAIYUAN – More than 120,000 people have been temporarily evacuated after continuous downpours triggered floods in north China's Shanxi province, authorities said Sunday.

The floods have disrupted the lives of 1.76 million residents from 76 counties, cities and districts, according to the provincial department of emergency management.

Some 190,000 hectares of crops were damaged and more than 17,000 houses collapsed, the provincial department of emergency management said

Some 190,000 hectares of crops were damaged and more than 17,000 houses collapsed, the department said.

Emergency management departments of various levels have allocated 4,000 tents, 3,200 folding beds as well as cotton clothes and quilts for disaster relief.

Authorities have earmarked 50 million yuan (about $7.8 million) to support the flood control and relief work after heavy rains lashed the coal-rich province.

The fund will be used for emergency relocation and resettlement of disaster-affected people, restoration and reconstruction of damaged houses, as well as repair of damaged irrigation and water conservancy facilities and materials needed for restoration of agricultural production in severely impacted areas, and other disaster relief efforts.

On Saturday, the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management jointly activated a Level-IV emergency response to floods in Shanxi. The province has also issued a Level-III emergency response for natural disasters.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.

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