China upgrades flood control emergency response level after red alert for rainstorms

BEIJING, June 24: China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Monday raised emergency responses to flooding to Level III in the eastern provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi, following the decision by the national observatory to issue a red alert for rainstorms earlier in the day.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most urgent response and a four-tier, colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.

The headquarters said one more work team would be sent to Zhejiang to assist in local flood prevention efforts.

Work teams dispatched to Anhui and Jiangxi will continue their work there, according to the headquarters.

China's National Meteorological Center on Monday morning renewed a red alert for rainstorms as heavy rainfall is expected in several regions of the country.

From Monday to Sunday, continuous heavy rainfall is expected to lash parts of the regions south of the Yangtze River, the Jianghan Plain, and regions along the Yangtze River and Huaihe River. Notably, the mainstream of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will experience a significant rise in water level, according to the national observatory.