Residents in South China's Guangdong Province are bracing
themselves for another round of heavy showers following the storms
that claimed at least 21 lives just over a week ago.
Downpours were recorded in most parts of the province yesterday and
the day before.
The Guangdong Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief
Department issued an emergency notice last Saturday evening on
dealing with rainstorms.
According to the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Observatory,
last Saturday's brief but strong thunderstorms in the Pearl River
Delta represented the third time since the rainy season started in
April that the region has confronted such strong storms.
There were also strong storms on April 24 and May 14.
Thunderstorms are the world's fourth most destructive category of
climate, following tropical cyclones, earthquakes and water
logging.
Most parts of Guangdong Province yesterday had some rain, with the
southwest suffering downpours and rainstorms.
Dongguan, Foshan, Shunde and another six cities issued a rainstorm
yellow alert on Sunday. Huizhou, southeast of Guangzhou, issued a
higher red alert.
The emergency notice issued on Saturday emphasizes the importance
of minimizing any loss of human life and working to avoid any
reoccurrence of the rain disaster that struck the cities of Heyuan
and Meizhou in northern Guangdong the weekend before last.
At
least 21 people died and eight went missing due to mountain
torrents and landslides that followed hours of heavy rain in the
mountainous regions.
A
climate-monitoring system, the transfer of people from
landslide-hit areas, and the repair of damaged bridges and roads
are all part of intensive preparations now taking place.
The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has always
circulated a list of key areas for flood-prevention work. The list
includes five major rivers that pass through Guangdong - the
Beijiang, Dongjiang, Hanjiang, Pearl River and Xijiang.
Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua is responsible for flood-prevention
work for the Beijiang, while Deputy Governor Li Ronggen is in
charge of work on the other four rivers.
Most parts of the province are expected to be cloudy in the coming
days, with showers forecast for some southwestern parts up to
Thursday.
(China Daily May 27, 2003)