China recently experienced its 10th typhoon of the year and the results of it have left the nation in a shocking state of catastrophe. Tropical Storm Maysak, initially brought days of extreme rainfall across the country's southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region. But now, the typhoon has triggered a massive flood that claimed two lives, affecting about 55,000 people in Nanning and forcing around 48,000 of the city's residents to evacuate.
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Maysak has triggered multiple reservoir emergencies, increased river levels above warning levels and flooded several villages across Guangxi. In a clip going viral online, it also broke down the walls of a dam in the region. Authorities in Nanning have confirmed that the flooding killed two people late yesterday.
The typhoon made landfall in the southern island province of Hainan on Friday, where flights and ferry services were suspended. On Saturday, it made a second landfall in Quang Ninh, Vietnam, which shares a border with Guangxi. On Monday morning, state broadcaster CCTV reported that the Guangxi Hydrological Centre issued an orange flood warning, the region's second-highest alert level.
The Yujiang River's Nanning gauge will likely rise to about 71 meters around tomorrow, higher than the 69.4-meter alert level, the Nanning Hydrological Centre announced yesterday. Water at Hengzhou's Liulan Reservoir reached 111.20 meters early yesterday, 0.91 meters above its designed flood level, with the Yunbiao Reservoir overtopping at the same time.
Breaches and flooding were spotted at multiple reservoirs in the city of Hengzhou and Binyang county in the region. The Liulan Reservoir had to fully open its floodgates, while its dam developed a breach at 11 am yesterday, endangering downstream villages and towns. The collapse created a 50-metre (164-foot) gap in the structure, sending a massive torrent of water rushing downstream, the China Business Network reported.
Videos going viral on social media showed a rush of muddy water engulfing fields and telephone poles. In the distance, some people on rooftops waved for help. More than a dozen DJI drones were deployed in the rescue effort to airdrop supplies and evacuate stranded residents. Another video showed a man pulled from floodwaters by a drone with a rope tied around his waist.
