China's Guangdong downgrades flood control emergency response

The flood control headquarters of south China's Guangdong Province had downgraded its emergency response to the lowest Level IV as of 6pm Friday, due to a reduction in the rain and flood conditions there.

According to the provincial meteorological bureau, 27 cities and counties in Guangdong, including the provincial capital Guangzhou, had broken their cumulative rainfall records for April.

Cumulative rainfall in the city of Shaoguan was four times that of the same period in average years.

According to a preliminary assessment, as of Friday, the direct economic loss suffered in Shaoguan was around 4.6 billion yuan (US$647.4 million), of which the loss of housing and household property amounted to roughly 4.1 billion yuan. More than 160,000 people in the city were affected by the intense rain and subsequent flooding.

Despite the emergency response downgrade, the meteorological bureau has warned of significant precipitation in Guangdong from Friday evening to Monday, which means that there is a high risk of mountain torrents and geological disasters in this region.