Communication, power supply restored in Central China's Zixing after being hit by heavy rainfall

Local authorities in Chenzhou, Central China's Hunan Province, have been working all out to restore roads, electricity, and communication systems, after heavy rainfall brought enormous damage to Zixing, which is administrated by the city of Chenzhou, and left 30 people dead and 35 missing, according to local officials at a press briefing on Friday.

All attendees at the press briefing stood and observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the disaster on Friday. 

The heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Gaemi temporarily caused power outages in 149 villages and communication disruptions in 78 villages in Zixing, one of the most severely affected regions. Communication and power supply have been resumed basically in all 183 villages in Zixing, said the authorities. 

A total of 118,000 people were affected by the disaster, with 1,345 road collapses, 1,641 house collapses, and 208,000 mu (13,866.7 hectares) of crops affected, said Kan Baoyong, the mayor of Chenzhou, at the press briefing.

Local authorities have mobilized 1,792 personnel to restore roads, electricity, and communication systems in Zixing. As of 8 pm on Thursday, 46,798 out of 66,793 households have had their power restored, said the mayor.

From July 26 to Thursday, Zixing experienced heavy rainfall with an average precipitation of 410.4 millimeters. Some stations recorded 24-hour rainfall exceeding historical records in Hunan Province. Multiple areas experienced flash floods, mudslides, and landslides, causing varying degrees of damage, according to the local authorities.

A total of 986 sets of large equipment, five helicopters, and over 80 drones have been deployed to rescue and evacuate stranded residents. More than 13,000 people have been urgently relocated, and 695 people have been rescued and evacuated, said the authorities.

China's National Disaster Reduction Commission on Thursday raised the emergency response to Level II, the second-highest, for the region, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.  

Chinese authorities have allocated 378 million yuan ($53 million) to flood relief efforts in the country's southern and northern regions including Hunan Province, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday.