Beijing Activates Second-Highest Flood Emergency Response as Heavy Rain Threatens Capital

Dragon Media News Desk

Beijing activated a Level II flood-control emergency response, the second-highest level, on Tuesday as authorities warned of heavy rainfall, urban waterlogging and an increased risk of landslides.

According to the Beijing meteorological service, most parts of the city are expected to receive more than 100 millimeters of rainfall within six hours and over 150 millimeters within 24 hours from Tuesday evening through Thursday.

Beijing issued an orange alert for rainstorms at 10 a.m. on Monday, while several districts, including Fangshan, Daxing and Tongzhou, issued the highest-level red alerts.

Authorities said residents in high-risk areas would be evacuated to safer locations by Tuesday evening. Construction work will be suspended, while mountain campsites and scenic areas will be closed.

Starting Wednesday, employers have been encouraged to introduce flexible working hours or staggered schedules. Schools may suspend classes and in-person training depending on weather conditions, while organized outdoor sports activities will also be halted.

Beijing’s drainage authorities have placed 252 flood-control teams on standby. Additional preventive measures, including the installation of flood barriers, have been implemented at 368 subway stations, 33 hospital campuses and 17 elderly care facilities.

In Fangshan District, where exceptionally heavy rainfall is forecast, authorities have already begun evacuating residents from high-risk areas ahead of the downpours. Emergency rescue teams and supplies have been deployed, with more than 150,000 items of emergency equipment and materials placed on standby.

Meanwhile, Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of the year, made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on Sunday. China’s National Meteorological Center maintained an orange alert for rainstorms on Tuesday, forecasting heavy rainfall across a broad area of the country through Wednesday afternoon, including Zhejiang, Shanghai, Shandong, Beijing and Tianjin.

As of 7 a.m. Monday, around 167,900 people had been relocated from vulnerable areas on land and at sea in Fujian Province. In Shanghai, approximately 215,600 people had also been evacuated from areas considered at risk by late Sunday.