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Shocking images of the flood disaster in the regions of western and southern Germany continue to dominate headlines. Now disturbing images are reaching us from Chinese regions: people trapped in subway trains in Zhengzhou, surrounded by masses of water. Cars washed away, floating in brown torrents. In Inner Mongolia and Henan, thousands of people have already been brought to safety because of flooding. Infrastructure, agriculture, and factories have been damaged.

And meteorological forecasts predict more heavy rain. Authorities are preparing for the worst. While some provinces are hit by heavy rain, others are suffering from heatwaves. It sounds familiar to Europeans. The same repeating patterns of extreme weather once again demonstrate: the climate crisis knows no national borders and is already affecting billions of people worldwide.

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Heavy rain and flooding in Henan and Inner Mongolia

Like Central Europe and North America, the People’s Republic is currently experiencing extreme weather accompanied by heavy rain. Heatwaves are also threatening the power grid in important cities such as Beijing. Some parts of the country have experienced flooding due to the massive rainfall. Last year, entire villages along the Yangtze River were already flooded. The torrential rainstorms are occurring with increasing frequency.

Terrifying images surfaced on social media yesterday out of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan: people standing in a flooded subway line, anxiously waiting for rescue. Others are stuck in their cars, masses of water around them. In total, more than 140,000 people have been affected by extreme rainfall in Henan. More than 10,000 people had been evacuated by Tuesday, according to authorities. Large parts of the province also experienced heavy rainfall at the beginning of the week.

In Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, police officers brace themselves against the flooding with road barriers.

Meanwhile, water levels at 31 large and medium-sized reservoirs have “risen above the alert level, Reuters reports. According to news agency Xinhua, the province’s meteorological bureau has made “preparations for possible natural disasters“ as a result of the heavy rain. The streets in some cities are already severely flooded, as videos posted on Twitter show. State media have not reported any deaths so far. The floods have so far devastated more than 9,000 hectares of farmland. Economic infrastructure has also been destroyed. According to media reports, an aluminum factory experienced a massive explosion as a result of the floods, but the staff was evacuated beforehand. “The flood prevention situation is serious,” Li Guoying, minister of water resources, said, according to China Daily.

Heavy rain in Henan and Inner Mongolia

Forecasts on Monday announced continued heavy rainfall for the provinces of Henan, Yunnan, and Guangdong. The Ministry of Natural Resources warned of landslides and landslides in the autonomous regions of Anhui, Henan, Yunnan, and Guangxi Zhuang. Flooding of the Yellow River, Songhua River, and Haihe River is expected to continue into August due to heavy rainfall, the Ministry of Water Resources stated. Regional flooding is expected at the Yangtze and Pearl rivers.

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