Yuyao faces continued flood woes

Rescuers disseminate disaster relief to flood-hit residents in Lupu township, the hardest-hit area of the city of Yuyao in East China's Zhejiang Province on October 9, 2013, after Typhoon Fitow hit the coast.Photo: Yang Hui/GT

More than 800,000 residents in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province hit by torrential rains were still suffering from shortages of food, water and electricity supplies caused by Typhoon Fitow on Wednesday.

The flood has affected some 830,000 residents and caused financial losses of nearly 7 billion yuan ($1.14 billion) as of Tuesday night.

About 70 percent of the city area is flooded and water and electricity supplies are cut off in most parts of the city, Xinhua reported late Wednesday.

Yuyao saw once-in-a-century precipitation of some 500 millimeters as of Wednesday morning, and the water level in the Yaojiang River, which flows through the city, reached 5.33 meters, the highest in 64 years.

Yuyao authorities said at a press conference Wednesday that more than 4,000 rescuers had been sent out to conduct disaster relief work, with 100,000 residents successfully transferred and some 300 shelters accommodating nearly 35,000 residents set up.

An employee surnamed Xu from a rafting company in the city suburbs told the Global Times that the company has lent out hundred of rowboats to transport goods and rescue people, noting that the demand for the boats is still high as the water hasn't receded much.

"Goods and food are being carried continuously by trucks from neighboring cities, but they are all stuck at the exit of the expressway so we are using boats to carry the goods into the city," Xu said. "But the boats are small and they slow down the distribution of the materials."

He said that the water is thigh-deep and even chest-deep in some parts of the city.

Shelters have been set up for residents who need help, but phone calls from the Global Times failed to get through as the flood has affected telecommunications.

Goods did not reach some of the rural areas of Yuyao, which are also badly hit by the flood.

Residents in Jiangnan village, Lufu county said the village has been flooded for three days and they haven't seen any rescue teams setting up shelters or delivering goods for them.

"The government didn't spare efforts in comforting us and we all have difficulties in getting food and accommodation," Ji Qizheng, a villager whose 300-square-meter factory was flooded and suffered financial losses of up to 200,000 yuan, told the Global Times.

According to the official Weibo account of the Yuyao government's press office, the county has shelters and goods delivered, but rescue resources are limited when it comes to services for villages.

A total of 200,000 packages of food are being distributed by authorities and they will spare no efforts in draining away the water, fixing the roads, and resuming water and electricity supplies, said the local government.

Pan Yinhao, deputy mayor of the city, said that the flood may last for a few days as the drainage work is not going smoothly, noting that the water supply will be cut off until Saturday and the electricity will resume after traffic becomes smooth and the water recedes.