Over 1 million people have been affected by flooding and heavy rain in China’s Hubei province over the last few days.
Local media reports, quoting information from the Hubei Provincial Emergency Management Office, said heavy rain began on 27 June. Wide areas of the province were affected by river and flash flooding, including the cities of Yichang, Xiangyang, Jingmen, Xiaogan, Huanggang and Enshi. Images and videos shared on Social Media also showed flooding in the provincial capital, Wuhan.
As of 29 June 1.2 million people in the province were affected and 9,722 people had been moved to emergency accommodation. A total of 478 houses collapsed due to the disaster and 2,241 houses were damaged.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) said the floods were a result of torrential rains in the Yangtze river basin coupled with the release of floodwater from the massive Three Gorges hydroelectric dam upstream.
RFA added: “In the Yangtze river city of Yichang, residents blamed recent releases of water from the Three Gorges and Gezhouba dams upstream of the city for flooding in their backyard.”
Heavy rainstorms dumped 272 mm of rain on Yichang in 24 hours on 27 June, the largest amount since records began, according to RFA.
Social Media
Today, Yichang City, Hubei Province, China was flooded. The Chinese media reported that it was caused by rain. This is a naked lie. Everyone can see a lot of videos on Twitter. The rain cannot flood the entire city. It can only be caused by the CCP’s deliberate flood discharge pic.twitter.com/ZrnS4PYrdh
— O Sir 🇺🇸 (@theonesir) June 27, 2020
Compatriots of the Chinese nation
Today in Yichang, a vast ocean, the Three Gorges Dam accelerated drainage! Regardless of downstream safety!
pic.twitter.com/lO6uKJiQTF— Yaozulong (@Yaozulong1) June 27, 2020
*#3gorgesdam update update*
Heavy rains have increasing the amount of flood discharge forcing the state to open the gates, this will undoubtedly worsen Yichang and downstream cities and leave millions homeless due to excessive flooding#China #Weather #3GD pic.twitter.com/Izm8phW1tC
— The Underground Silk-Railroad Communique (@UndergroundSilk) June 28, 2020
The flood has reached Wuhan with some eerie soundtrack. #China Wuhan was flooded this morning, as it was continuously raining for the past week along the Yangtze river, many cities along the Yangtze flooded including Chongqing, Yichang, and now Wuhan.
— Martin Hiesboeck 解聰文 #COVID19 (@MHiesboeck) June 29, 2020
