Flooding in China has caused mass evacuations, with rain not showing signs of relief. To make matters worse, a typhoon is looming.
Shaanxi province in northwestern China is dealing with evacuations after flooding wrecked roads, damaged bridges, and disrupted parts of the power and communications system.
The crisis comes just before another typhoon, Dolphin, is expected to strike China's eastern seaboard between Aug. 9 and Aug. 10.
What happened?
According to The Straits Times, which cited Reuters and public broadcaster CCTV, more than 25,000 residents were evacuated from parts of Shaanxi during the 24 hours before Aug. 6 as heavy rain and floodwater swept through the province.
Videos shared online showed flood erosion wiping out roads in Zhen'an County, Shangluo City. With access constrained, rescue personnel carried basic aid, including water and rice, on foot, and broadcasters said more rain was still on the way.
Provincial officials say total evacuations in Shaanxi since July 30 have risen past 140,000.
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Typhoon Dolphin is forecast to reach the eastern coast between Shanghai and Fujian sometime from Aug. 9 to Aug. 10, authorities said. Once the storm makes landfall, an interaction with cold air could shift the heaviest rainfall north, leaving northern China wetter than the coastline.
Why does it matter?
Collapsed roads and damaged bridges can cut off neighborhoods, delay rescues, and make it harder to move food, drinking water, and medical supplies to people in need.
Power and communications outages can leave families without emergency alerts, contact with loved ones, cooling, and refrigeration during dangerous weather. Businesses can also be forced to shut down, and transportation networks can grind to a halt.
Extreme weather disasters can disrupt public health, evacuation routes, homes, farms, roads, and local commerce.
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The threat is not limited to one province. Authorities said Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shaanxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Hainan could all face heavy to torrential rain, while central and eastern China are forecast to see temperatures above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). The Straits Times also said the Turpan Basin in Xinjiang could top 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius).
As extreme weather becomes more severe, overlapping threats such as flooding, dangerous heat, and storm damage can place more pressure on communities and emergency systems.
What's being done?
Relief operations are continuing in Shaanxi, where rescuers are bringing in basic supplies despite washed-out roads. Footage showed workers reaching some affected communities on foot with essentials.
Officials have also relied on mass evacuations to reduce the risk of injury or death from flash floods, landslides, and infrastructure collapse.
As rainfall persists and Typhoon Dolphin draws closer, officials are urging people to stay alert for floods, landslides, and related hazards.
With more rain forecast, widespread evacuations underway, and a typhoon nearing the coast, China is facing a dangerous stretch in which flood damage, extreme heat, and storm impacts could reinforce one another.
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