Bavi triggers torrential rain

Torrential rain has battered parts of Northeast China's Liaoning province since late last week, forcing mass evacuations and prompting sweeping emergency measures, while local authorities remain on high alert for more heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Bavi, the ninth typhoon of the year.

From 8 pm on Sunday to 9 am on Monday, widespread rainstorms and torrential downpours lashed central Liaoning, according to meteorological authorities. The provincial meteorological authority issued red alerts for rainstorms and severe convective weather at 11 am on Monday.

In China's four-tier weather warning system, red is the highest level, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

As of 6 am on Monday, 171,412 residents had been relocated across the province in response to the latest round of heavy rainfall, according to Liaoning's provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Shenyang, the provincial capital, bore the brunt of the rainfall, with 13 weather stations recording extraordinarily heavy rain.

At 9:10 am on Monday, Shenyang authorities issued the city's highest-level red flood warning and raised its emergency flood response to Level I.

Authorities suspended classes at all primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and off-campus training institutions.

Outdoor gatherings and large-scale public events were canceled, construction sites were ordered to halt operations and all mountain-and water-related tourist attractions, along with morning and night markets, were closed.

A convenience store owner surnamed Liu in Shenyang's Yuhong district said floodwaters inundated the first floor of her store after the rain intensified before dawn on Monday.

"When I arrived at about 4 am, the whole street was already submerged, with water reaching nearly 2 meters deep in some places. Everything on the shelves was soaked," she said.

Liu said community workers went door to door before dawn to evacuate residents. She is now staying at a temporary shelter where basic necessities, including hot water and meals, are being provided.

Li Yang, head of a police station in Shenyang's Huanggu district, said officers have been on round-the-clock duty since Sunday.

"Our entire police force has been fully mobilized for 24-hour operations. We currently have six patrol vehicles and more than 40 officers deployed to flood-prone areas" he said.

Elsewhere in Liaoning, Daoerdeng township in Lingyuan, Chaoyang city, has experienced multiple rounds of heavy rainfall since 8 am Friday.

According to China Central Television, average rainfall in Lingyuan reached 130 millimeters by noon Sunday, while Daoerdeng township recorded 180 mm.

Many trees and large areas of farmland remained submerged, with some cornfields under about 1 meter of floodwater.

Preliminary estimates show that more than 410 hectares of farmland and 1.5 kilometers of roads have been damaged. Repair work is underway, the report said.

The report added that 11 of the township's 12 reservoirs were operating above their flood control limits, and authorities were releasing water to lower the levels.

At 6 pm on Monday, China's National Meteorological Center renewed an orange alert for rainstorms and a blue one for Typhoon Bavi.

The center forecast that Bavi will continue moving northeast at 10 to 15 km per hour with little change in intensity. It is expected to pass across the Shandong Peninsula and enter the northern Yellow Sea on Tuesday before gradually transitioning into an extratropical cyclone that night.