Beginning on May 31, southern China experienced three days of excessive rainfall which ended up destroying 11,000 homes and forcing 200,000 people to evacuate. Initially, there were 53 people reported missing and not until just recently have they been recovered. The Guangxi region flood control office has said that the flooding and landslides affected 42 counties.

Flooding in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Image: AP

It’s interesting to note that the torrential rains that have occurred follow one of the worst droughts in a century for southern China’s Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi regions. The drought has left millions without drinking water and 12 million acres barren since last year. China’s rainy season officially began last month and already they’re dealing with devastating affects from flooding and rain-triggered landslides. To make matters even worse, more rain is in the forecast the next several days which will definitely not help in the cleanup efforts.

Road damaged by rainstorms, June 6. Image: Xinhua News