Heavy rains, floods, force 200,000 evacuations in southern China
Pastor Dale Morgan
Heavy rains, floods, force 200,000 evacuations in southern China *
The Associated Press
Saturday, June 14, 2008; 6:12 AM
BEIJING -- Heavy rains in southern China triggered floods that killed
six people and forced the evacuation of 200,000 residents, state media
reported Saturday.
About 150,000 people were evacuated from Lechang city in Guangdong
province after heavy rains late Friday pushed up the water level of the
Wujiang River, setting off a flood alert, the official Xinhua News
Agency said.
Four people were killed in the city of Shenzhen and two others in
Shaoguan, it said. Four others were missing in Heyuan, Qingyuan and
Shaoguan, Xinhua said.
Provincial disaster officials said up to 10.6 inches of rain fell over a
12-hour period starting at 7 p.m. Friday, flooding cities throughout
Guangdong.
Shenzhen officials reported that more than 300 locations in the city
were submerged and reservoirs had to open sluices to lower their water
levels, Xinhua said.
In nearby Guangxi province, more than 50,000 residents were displaced
after rainstorms pummeled Liuzhou city starting Thursday. Nearly 800,000
people in the city were affected by floods and about 100 elementary and
middle schools had to suspend classes, Xinhua said.