RESCUE teams are working tirelessly in the southern province of Guangdong after torrential rains caused devastating floods. The focus remains on locating survivors and providing relief to affected areas.

In Meizhou, dramatic rescues unfolded on Tuesday. An elderly woman trapped for over 40 hours in her collapsed home in Shizai Village was pulled to safety, and another resident was rescued after he clung to a lamppost as floodwaters engulfed his home.

Meizhou has seen extensive preparations and evacuations, according to Long Qizhen, Party chief of Wengui Village in Meizhou. Over 67,000 residents have been relocated from flood-hit areas.

“We never expected to be struck by such a catastrophic flood that has damaged so many houses in the village,” Long said. “Fortunately, we made advance preparations, and all the villagers have been relocated.”

Helicopters have been busy transporting the injured and distributing disaster relief supplies to flood-hit areas, Long added.

Southern Power Grid announced on Wednesday that electricity had been restored by Tuesday night to more than 80% of the households that experienced blackouts in Guangdong. Some 388,000 households lost power when floods struck the province following heavy rainstorms that have occurred. Many electrical supply facilities were destroyed or damaged. The power company dispatched several thousand repair personnel, more than 1,000 vehicles and 34 emergency power generation vehicles to affected areas.

Since June 9, persistent torrential rains have hit large areas in South and East China, especially in the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where 11 stations recorded 24-hour rainfall exceeding historical highs, leading to floods and mudslides, according to the National Meteorological Center.

(China Daily)