More Flooding wrecks thousands of homes in south China*

13 Aug 2007 01:46:05 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) - More than 3,600 houses collapsed in southern
China as rains from a fading tropical storm caused widespread flooding,
while hundreds of people in the northeast were evacuated to avoid
landslides, state media said on Monday.

And in the capital, Beijing, a clear, sunny day ended with a brief, but
violent storm on Sunday, taking everyone by surprise. High winds
uprooted several trees, knocked flowerpots off balconies, cut power in
some places and caused flash floods.

Tropical storm Pabuk, which hit Hong Kong on Friday, brought rain to
southeastern coastal provinces, offering temporary relief to the
lingering drought there.

But it also caused floods across the southern province of Guangdong,
toppling houses and "affecting" about 1.2 million people, the Xinhua
news agency said.

Downpours and rainstorms were recorded in Wenzhou and Taizhou in the
eastern province of Zhejiang, which have suffered more than 20 days of
sweltering heat.

Heavy rains also brought relief to 65,500 people and 30,300 hectares of
scorched farmland in Fujian in the southeast.

A drizzly Hong Kong itself was getting back to normal on Monday after a
severe storm warning forced markets, schools and ferries public
facilities to close early on Friday.

More than 1,100 people were evacuated to avoid possible landslides after
heavy rains hit Dandong, a city in the northeast province of Liaoning,
Xinhua said.

Mines in two counties under the jurisdiction of Dandong city were
ordered to suspend operations as rain was expected all week.

Three more tropical storms are expected to form in coming days,
threatening China and neighbouring Taiwan.

The tropical storms, as opposed to full-fledged typhoons, come at the
tail-end of a summer over which a series of natural disasters in China
has killed nearly 1,000 people in floods, landslides and house collapses.