The heaviest rainfall in decades has triggered floods and landslides in southern China, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, state media reported. 👉The downpours have dangerously swelled waterways in the low-lying Pearl River basin in recent days, threatening manufacturing, shipping and logistics operations at a time when supply chains are already stressed because of China’s strict Covid-19 controls. The average rainfall in Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi provinces between early May and the middle of June reached 621 millimeters (24 inches), the highest since 1961, according to China’s National Meteorological Center. State media photos showed people huddled on camp beds in schools converted into temporary shelters in Guangdong’s Shaoguan city, and hundreds of tents erected on a sports ground. In neighboring Guangxi region, muddy water was seen flooding urban areas, and emergency rescuers were seen evacuating villagers on rubber dinghies, according to state media images. Guangdong authorities said Monday that more than 200,000 people have been evacuated over the course of the disaster, and the damage so far is estimated at $254 million. The evacuees are among almost 480,000 people affected by the rains and floods, according to the officials.
