Typhoon Gaemi has triggered another round of devastating floods in central China, leaving at least 19 people dead and another three missing as rescue crews struggle to reach the worst-affected areas.

The typhoon swept across the South China Sea and hit eastern China’s Fujian province last Thursday, forcing the evacuation of over 150,000 people in the region. The following day, the storm caused torrential rain to strike the central province of Hunan, which quickly overwhelmed local defenses.

By Wednesday, over 1 million people in Hunan had been impacted by flooding, with 95,000 needing to be evacuated and another 49,800 forced to rely on emergency supplies, domestic media reported.

The southern part of Hunan has suffered the most extreme rainfall. In Zixing City, around 645 millimeters of rain — more than the area normally receives in several months — fell in just 24 hours, causing landslides, power outages, and road blockages in many areas.

Multiple villages in Bamianshan Yao Township, a rural part of Zixing City, were cut off from the outside world for hours after floods and mudslides devastated local infrastructure. As of Wednesday, three people have been confirmed dead in the township and one is still missing.

Li Weiqiang, a resident of Zhoutang Village in Bamianshan, told local media that heavy rain began falling on Friday. “I’ve never seen such heavy rain,” he said.

The following morning, a landslide suddenly occurred, engulfing the kitchen where Li’s wife was cooking. Locals were unable to reach the house to help for two hours, as the road had been blocked. By the time they arrived, Li’s wife had died.

Landslides have reportedly hindered rescue efforts across Bamianshan, with heavy-duty equipment unable to enter after a flash flood destroyed the main bridge into the township.

Local authorities have instead dispatched hundreds of boat crews and deployed four helicopters to rescue survivors and transport supplies. As of Wednesday, communications have been restored across most of Zixing City, but nearly 24,000 households are still without power.

In nearby Hengyang City, meanwhile, 15 people were killed after a guesthouse collapsed due to a landslide on Sunday. Another six people were injured during the disaster, local media reported.

The landslide was just one of several that have occurred in rural parts of Hengyang amid the downpours in recent days, though fortunately most of them did not result in any casualties. A guesthouse owner near Mount Hengshan, a popular local scenic area, told local media: “(Landslides) are quite normal, but this time it’s more serious.”

Authorities across Hunan province remain on high alert. As of Monday, more than 20 hydrological stations in the region were reporting that water levels in local rivers remained above the warning line. At three of the stations, the water had risen above the “guaranteed” line, meaning that local flood defenses were in danger of being overwhelmed.

The floods are the latest in a series of disasters that have affected China this year, with the China Meteorological Association warning that climate change is causing heat waves and flooding to become more frequent and intense.

This summer, China has been hit by 20 consecutive rounds of flooding, affecting multiple river basins across the country. These back-to-back disasters have put a strain on resources, as rescue teams struggle with a lack of manpower and funding, aid organizations told domestic media.

Additional reporting: Zhu Yingcui.

(Header image: People are rescued from floods at a residential building in Shuangfeng County, Hunan province, July 28, 2024. IC)