China - July 27, 2024

Localities across China have made effective preparations and conducted timely evacuations as Typhoon Gaemi has swept through various parts of the country.

According to the Fujian Provincial Meteorological Bureau, Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of the year, made its second landfall in China on Thursday evening.

China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters upgraded the emergency response to flooding for northeast China's Liaoning Province from Level-IV to Level-III on Saturday.

The institution also launched a Level-IV flood emergency response for Tianjin Municipality and Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Guangdong provinces. It maintained the Level-IV response for Hebei, Jilin, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi provinces.

According to the local weather bureau, the typhoon is expected to bring significant rainfall and thunderstorms to Jilin Province in northeast China from Saturday night through next Tuesday.

At 14:00 on Saturday, the Jilin Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters upgraded the flood emergency response from Level IV to Level III.

Local authorities have strengthened monitoring and early warnings for rain and water conditions using radar echoes and other technical means and have prepared flood control materials in advance. Relevant departments also promptly cleared silt and drained waterlogged areas.

Since Friday afternoon, torrential rains and thunderstorms have affected the eastern part of Liaoning Province. At 05:00 Saturday morning, the province's Fengcheng City issued an orange warning and elevated its emergency response to Level II.

Extensive precipitation has displaced large stones, vegetation, and tree branches in a village in Jiguanshan Township. Local authorities have dispatched excavators to clear the blocked rivers.

The township has also established 14 resettlement sites to relocate people affected by the disaster.

By 15:00 on Saturday, 2,449 people had been evacuated from 21 towns and villages in Fengcheng.

"We came here this morning. At around 7:00, the government officials came and asked us to evacuate. There were also elderly men and women, some over 90 years old. It was really difficult for them, and they were all carried out on the backs of rescuers. When we arrived here, food, water, and various daily necessities had already been prepared for us. I am very grateful to the government for taking care of us," a villager said.

Central China's Henan Province also initiated a Level-III emergency response to flooding on Friday afternoon, and the province's meteorological observatory also issued a yellow rainstorm warning on Friday afternoon.

The typhoon-induced rainfall has caused waterlogging in urban areas of Zhoukou City of Henan on Saturday.

As the heavy rainfall temporally stopped, local departments have dispatched dredging facilities, excavators, generators, and other emergency equipment to clear muds and standing water on streets, and emergency forces such as fire departments and Blue Sky Rescue Team, a Chinese civil relief squad, are also on standby at all times to deal with the impact.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most urgent response, and a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

SHOTLIST:
Tonghua City, Jilin Province, northeast China - July 27, 2024
1. Aerial shots of cityscape;
2. Various of emergency responders loading supplies, conducting flood control works;
3. Various of rescuers evacuating residents, police officers directing traffic;
4. Various of staff working at meteorological center;

Jiguanshan Township, Fengcheng City, Liaoning Province, northeast China - July 27, 2024
5. Various of flooded river, residents, excavator working;
6. Various of resettlement site, affected residents resting on beds;
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) local villager (name not given) (partially overlaid with shot 8):
"We came here this morning. At around 7:00, the government officials came and asked us to evacuate. There were also elderly men and women, some over 90 years old. It was really difficult for them, and they were all carried out on the backs of rescuers. When we arrived here, food, water, and various daily necessities had already been prepared for us. I am very grateful to the government for taking care of us.";
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
8. Various of affected residents eating;
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
9. Various of stacked supplies;

Henan Province, central China - July 27, 2024
10. Dark clouds above highway;
11. Tracking shot of car driving on highway in rain

Zhoukou City, Henan Province, central China - July 27, 2024
12. Various of emergency vehicle on road, emergency responders working;
13. Flooded facilities.

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