South China ravaged by floods while the North bakes under heatwave

China June 22 AFP - Heavy rains continued to flood cities across southern and eastern China on Wednesday, destroying crops and infrastructure, trapping residents, and triggering landslides, even as heatwaves drove up the power demand to record levels in north and central China, media reports said.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from the inundated southern provinces by the military and emergency workers as weather authorities warned of more rain in the coming days.
Torrential rainfall for days has swept away houses, cars, and even heavy vehicles in affected cities, while many roads have collapsed or been swept away.

Chinese authorities have not lifted “red alerts”, the most severe warning, that were issued in the past week in many places, warning residents to be vigilant for possible landslides and mountain torrents.

Meanwhile, demand for electricity in many Chinese localities has set new records amid a heatwave in central and northern provinces, state media reported.

Power demand has risen as temperatures climb, with homes and businesses cranking up air conditioning, said People’s Daily, the Communist Party of China mouthpiece.

China’s national observatory has renewed an alert for high temperatures for 12 provinces and regions, with some regions such as Hebei province in the north and Shandong province in the east expected to see temperatures cross 40 degrees Celsius.