Level III flood-control emergency response launched in NE.China

China's Ministry of Water Resources launched a level III flood-control emergency response on Sunday morning following severe rainstorms and flooding in Northeast China's Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, as well as North China'sInnerMongoliaAutonomous Region.

As of 8 am on Saturday, a total of 25 rivers, including the Lalin River and Mudan River, had exceeded water warning levels by 0.06-3.40 meters, with five rivers exceeding the guaranteed water level, according to a statement.

Heavy rainfall has resulted in the loss of six lives and the disappearance of four people in Shulan, Northeast China's Jilin Province. All the missing people are public officials who were engaged in emergencyrescueand disasterrelief operations, local authorities confirmed on Sunday.

At present, rainfall across the region is subsiding, and the nine major flood control reservoirs in the area are maintaining a controlled discharge, officials said, adding that rapid repairs are underway for roads, bridges, culverts, transformers and telecommunications stations impacted by the flood.

Shulan has mobilized more than 980 personnel, including firefighters, medical staff and electricity grid workers in coordinating rescue efforts. As a result of these combined efforts, a total of 18,916 people in the area have been transferred to safe locations.

Efforts are also being made to restore normal life of local people. Farmland destroyed by heavy rainfall and flooding is being dredged, and cash crops are being planted as quickly as possible to minimize economic losses.

Meanwhile, the National Meteorological Center said that the rainfall in Northeast China starting from August 2 may trigger extreme heavy downpours. The approaching remnants of Typhoon Doksuri are expected to bring storms to the middle and eastern parts of Jilin and the southeastern part of Heilongjiang.

Flood control authorities in Harbin and Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang began to implement flood control emergency measures on Wednesday and Thursday, including suspending schools and training institutions and halting construction activities and other outdoor events.

Natural disasters, including flooding, typhoons and geological disasters, have affected more than 16 million people in China, with 147 deaths or missing, creating a direct economic loss of 41.18 billion yuan ($5.74 billion) in July, according to China's Ministry of Emergency Management on Friday.

Affected by super typhoon Doksuri, extreme rainfall buffeted northern China, Huang-huai and other regions, with multiple flood control areas in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei activated. The water level of some major rivers is lower than that of the same period of the previous years, with 262 rivers experiencing floods above the warning level, according to authorities.

More than 7.03 million people have been affected by flooding and geological disasters caused by Doksuri, with 142 people dead or missing, leading to more than 2,300 houses collapsing and causing direct economic damage reaching 15.78 billion yuan, official statistics indicated.