Here in our little red dot, flash floods occasionally occur amid prolonged heavy rain. Strong thundery showers with gusty winds pour especially so during monsoon seasons.
Remember just last April?
It was so bad that the national water agency PUB issued flood risk warnings for over 20 locations.
Some residents even mentioned that Singapore has “never been flooded like this before”.
Well, news flash.
In other countries, it’s a whole other level. We’re talking about dozens of people forced to relocate, trapped, injured, or even killed.
So while we count our blessings and *touchwood* never have to experience such catastrophe, let’s take a look at what’s currently happening over in China.
When and why did the flood start
Starting last Saturday (17 July), heavy rain started to hit China’s provincial capital Zhengzhou.
Exactly how much accounts for ‘heavy’? I mean nearly an entire year’s worth of rain falling over three days kind of heavy.
On Tuesday, more than 200 mm of rain fell in one hour, leaving the city no choice but to stop all subway train services.
China’s meteorological authority forecasted that parts of the region would continue to see “severe or extremely severe storms”. They also mentioned that the heavy rain was likely to end only on Thursday.
To all parties directly affected by this, stay strong.
Many factors attribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more probable.
The impact of disaster
The days of rain have caused widespread damage. Roads have been turned into rivers, with cars and debris swept along in rapid-paced currents.
Flights and trains in many parts of Henan have also been halted.
Video clips circulating on social media showed people trapped in train carriages and on platforms. As floodwaters rise waist-high, banks of major rivers also started to burst.
Evening commuters were seen just managing to keep their heads above water as water rushed onto platforms.
Images showed some people standing in flooded carriages before they were allegedly rescued through a hole in the carriage roof.
Officials confirmed that more than 500 people were eventually rescued from the tunnels in Henan province.
As BBC reports, the incident forced about 200,000 people to have been displaced in the province. They have since evacuated to safer locations.
While a handful managed to escape without many casualties, others weren’t so fortunate.
At the time of writing, at least 25 people have been said to be killed. According to a statement from the government of Zhenzhou city, at least a dozen of the deceased were subway train passengers.
Important heritage sites affected
Yesterday (21 July), President Xi Jinping said that there had been “significant loss of life and damage to property.”
A rising Yi River was pressurised to hit the Longmen Grottoes. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site highlighting millennium-old Buddhist statues etched into limestone cliffs.
Similar to the Longmen Grottoes, the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng city, well known for its martial arts, has been temporarily shut.
Heritage sites aside, power plants have also been said to be greatly disrupted.
According to Reuters, an aluminium alloy unit in Dengfeng exploded on Tuesday. This came after water from a river surged into the factory.
Featured Image: Youtube (BBC News)
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