The latest storm information on June 25 from the National Meteorological Administration of China said that the tropical depression is likely to make landfall in the area from Hainan Island to Guangdong Province on the morning of June 26, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
This will be the second storm in just 2 weeks, continuing to test the flood prevention systems of the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hunan - which had to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people when Typhoon No. 1 Wutip devastated them from June 13-15.
Meanwhile, Guizhou province is experiencing the most serious flood in decades. In Vinh Giang district - famous for "Cun Chao", the village football tournament once caused a fever nationwide, heavy rain from the night of June 23 caused the water level of Do Lieu river to rise 6.68m higher than the warning at 2:00 p.m. on June 24. The entire Cun Chao football field was flooded up to 3m deep.
As of the afternoon of June 24, more than 80,000 people have been evacuated in Vinh Giang and Tong Giang districts. Many people were forced to take shelter on high ground or were rescued by boats and canoes. Rescue forces, armed police and volunteers were mobilized to provide life jackets, food and clean water to support the people.
"At 8am, the water was just as big as my calf, and at noon I had to run up to the 3rd floor to wait for rescue" - Mr. Long Tian, a resident living near Cun Chao Stadium, recounted.
Notably, in Tam Do district, Guizhou province, part of the overpass on the Ha Mon - Thanh Do expressway suddenly collapsed on the morning of June 24 after a landslide due to prolonged heavy rain. The incident occurred at 7:40 a.m. when a truck was passing. The driver was fortunately rescued by rescue forces in time.
Images from the flycam show 3 construction vehicles stuck under the broken bridge, fortunately there were no people inside.
According to the meteorological agency of Guizhou province, from 6am on June 23 to 6am on June 24, many places in the south and southeast of this province recorded rainfall exceeding 300 mm.
In the context of widespread flooding, China's central government on June 24 provided 300 million yuan (equivalent to 41.8 million USD) to 7 provinces to serve emergency relief work and overcome the consequences of natural disasters.
The rain forecast shows that heavy rain will continue for many days to come, spreading to the north and west of Guizhou. In that context, the upcoming tropical depression has further raised concerns about worsening flooding.
