Heavy rains in Liaoning cause flooding and evacuations
Nature does not ask permission when it arrives. It falls from the sky or rises from the earth, and humanity must choose: surrender or fight. Torrential rains washing away riverbanks and water flooding homes remind us how fragile our comfort is in the face of the elements. Yet it is precisely in these moments that the main thing emerges — the ability to act together, to evacuate people, to protect lives and rebuild what has been destroyed.
From Friday to Saturday, torrential rains hit the northeastern province of Liaoning, causing three breaches in an open channel in the city of Fushun and forcing local authorities to evacuate residents. Across the province, 14 meteorological stations recorded exceptionally heavy downpours with rainfall exceeding 250 millimetres.
In Fushun, average rainfall was 106 millimetres, with some areas seeing intensity beyond historical records. The hardest hit area in Fushun is Nianpan Township in Dongzhou District. Located east of the city, the township adjoins the Dahuofang Reservoir – the third largest in Liaoning – and is flanked by two rivers, with terrain sloping from east to west.
The breaches occurred along the Longfeng open channel in Longfeng Village, leaving the entire village heavily flooded. The third breach is about 30 metres from the other two, and water gushed into the village, inundating vast areas of farmland and homes. Local authorities activated emergency response plans on Saturday around 13:00 as rains intensified.
Five families (11 people) were evacuated first, as their homes were directly opposite the third breach. By roughly 14:00, when the channel burst, all 20 people from 10 families in the danger zone had been moved to safety. The water level in the village has not yet receded; rescuers are waiting for the Hunhe River level to drop before starting drainage. The flood also affected nearby Guankou Village, where newly built bank protection structures and bridges were washed away. Chen Boxiu, Party secretary of Nanpan Township, said preparations followed emergency plans, but this time 122 residents were evacuated instead of the usual 12.
Liaoning province experiences annual flooding during the rainy season, but this year's rainfall intensity has broken multi year records. Authorities reinforced dams and conducted drills in advance, yet the elements proved stronger than forecasts. The primary focus remains on protecting lives – all evacuees have been placed in temporary shelters with food and water supplies. As CCTV+ reports. Meteorologists forecast further rainfall in the coming two days, and rescue teams continue to monitor the situation to prevent additional casualties and damage.
