Torrential rains have struck several areas since Typhoon Merbok made landfall on Monday, and some areas south of the Yangtze River in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces have been plagued by continuous rainfall since last Friday, with catastrophic consequences.
Even before Typhoon Merbok landed, storms ravaged some areas in Guangdong Province, with strong winds causing high waves in coastal regions. In Hunan Province, areas of Huaihua city were completely waterlogged, with water surrounding residential areas as though they were islands in the sea. More than thirty houses have been flooded.
In Guizhou Province, heavy rainfall also pelted southwestern Guiding county on Monday, leaving houses and farmland flooded with knee-high to waist-high water and causing damage to many roads. In response, the local government has mobilized several departments for disaster relief.
"All roads in our town are open and we are clearing them. We have summoned all people living along the roads to help clean up the worst-hit villages," said Yao Huafei, a local town official. "The sanitation department has entered relevant villages to conduct disinfection and sterilization, as well as collecting epidemic statistics."
