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| The Yongding River in Beijing, China, rises after days of heavy rain. (Source: AP) |
Recently, Aljazeera reported that Beijing and some localities in China faced floods caused by Typhoon Doksuri. After many days of incessant rain, hundreds of people are still trapped in their homes. At least two people died in floods in Beijing. On the streets, cars were swept away when the rain turned “roads into rivers”, including in the Mentougo district, where floodwaters submerged many people's vehicles.
According to Chinese media, from the evening of July 29 to the afternoon of July 31, the average rainfall in Beijing reached 176.9mm, especially the maximum rainfall recorded at a weather station in Mentougou was 580.9mm.
The Beijing Observatory maintained its red alert - the highest level of warning for heavy rainfall, while the Beijing Hydrological Station upgraded its flood warning with forecasts of more rain and river flooding. The relentless rain from late last week through yesterday morning broke daily rainfall records at 14 weather stations in Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong provinces.
More than 31,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Beijing, work at more than 4,000 construction sites has been suspended, nearly 20,000 buildings have been inspected for damage, and scenic spots in the city have been closed. According to the flight tracking app Flight Master, as of the afternoon of July 31, both airports in Beijing had canceled more than 200 flights, and nearly 600 were delayed. As of July 31, as many as 358 roads in Beijing were flooded by heavy rain.
Elsewhere, heavy rains continued to batter Tianjin and Hebei province after Typhoon Doksuri weakened to a tropical depression over the weekend. On July 31, three of the five rivers that make up the Haihe River basin rose to dangerous levels. Some houses were swept away into the Yongding River (a major tributary of the Haihe River), and nearly 55,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Baoding City.
Doksuri is one of the strongest typhoons to hit China in years. It caused widespread flooding over the weekend in the southern province of Fujian, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
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| Vehicles submerged in floodwaters on a Beijing street. (Source: Reuters) |
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| Rising waters of the Yongding River flood Shougang Park in Beijing. (Source: AP) |
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| Heavy rain also damaged many roads in Beijing. (Source: AP) |
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| A damaged car swept away by floodwaters. (Source: AP) |
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| Floodwaters swept away vehicles and damaged streets in Beijing. (Source: AP) |
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| Flood damage in Mentougou district, Beijing. (Source: AP) |
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| Tourists are not allowed to visit the Forbidden City because the site is closed as thunderstorms hit Beijing. (Source: AP) |
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| A village near the river bank was devastated by floodwaters. (Source: AP) |
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| People clean up a flooded shop in Fuzhou, Fujian province. (Source: Reuters) |
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| Streets in Fuzhou also "turned into rivers" after Typhoon Doksuri made landfall and brought heavy rain. (Source: Reuters) |
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