Provincial capital shuts down public transportation, underground spaces, shopping malls and tunnels
Heavy rainstorms in Central China's Henan province over the weekend triggered the second-highest emergency response for flooding.
On Saturday, Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, closed its schools, tourism spots, public transportation, tunnels, underground spaces, shopping malls and chemical plants until 8 am Tuesday. Residents should not go out unless it is necessary, the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters said in an open letter.
By 11 am Sunday, the city had evacuated about 240,000 residents from houses where flooding posed a danger and those from low-lying areas.
China Railway Zhengzhou Group suspended about 95 trains on Sunday.
A video showed residents, who had also experienced heavy rain last month, parking their cars on the sides of overpasses. The city's police said on their Sina Weibo micro blog that they would not fine drivers for illegal parking during the emergency period.
Kaifeng, another city in Henan, issued a notice that apart from grocery stores, all enterprises, tourism spots and construction sites should close until noon on Monday. No cars will be allowed into underground parking lots until 8 pm on Monday, and all above ground lots will be open for free.
Lou Yangsheng, Henan's governor, told a Saturday meeting, "We must ensure no people die, no dam breaks and that no river bursts its banks, and we must guarantee the safety of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project."
He added that protective measures are needed for water and electricity supply facilities, hospitals and communication equipment. Rescue personnel must stand by around the clock, and media should update warning information promptly.
"Authorities at all levels in the province must ensure the safety of each corner and each household," Lou said.
Weather forecasters said that although the heavy rain in Henan will subside on Monday, people and authorities need to take flood precautions because the new rain has overlapped some of the same areas hit last month.
Rainstorms with levels of precipitation not seen in decades that hit Henan on July 20 caused more than 300 deaths.
Chen Tao, chief forecaster of the National Meteorological Center, said, "This bout of rain is weaker than the one in July and is moving faster from west to east."
From Sunday to Monday, strong winds were also forecast to hit the northern and central parts in Henan, the provincial meteorological service said.
It said the rain might be a record high for this time of the year, with precipitation of between 250 millimeters and 400 mm expected in some parts of the province.
Heavy rain has also lashed Northwest China's Shaanxi province since Saturday, with precipitation of up to 220.7 mm, the provincial weather service said. In the 24 hours leading up to 6 am Sunday, 42 meteorological stations in the province recorded more than 100 mm of rain.
The Shaanxi meteorological observatory issued an orange alert, the second-highest level, for rainstorms early on Sunday morning, with heavy rain expected to continue in the province.
In response to the rain that has hit North and Central China, the Ministry of Water Resources has sent seven work groups to the provinces of Henan, Shandong, Shanxi and Shaanxi to guide flood control work.
Water Resources Minister Li Guoying told a video conference with the Henan provincial government and some major rivers' conservancy commissions on Saturday that this round of strong, widespread rain could cause disasters.
Regions along the Yellow, Huaihe and Haihe rivers might suffer from severe flooding, he said.
He asked local authorities to ensure smooth flood discharges, protect dams from breaking and safeguard sources of drinking water.
The meteorological center said the rain is forecast to move eastward on Monday and batter the provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan and Guizhou.
Xinhua contributed to this story.