BEIJING/GUANGZHOU/CHANGSHA - Huaiji county, which is administered by Zhaoqing city in South China's Guangdong province, has essentially achieved full power restoration after floods affected 118,000 households, the Guangdong branch of China Southern Power Grid Co Ltd (CSG) said on Saturday.

Severe flooding has recently struck Guangdong, with Zhaoqing among the hardest-hit areas. As of noon on Wednesday, continuous heavy rainfall had affected approximately 300,000 residents of Huaiji, and about 70,000 people had been relocated to safer areas, according to local authorities.

"Power facilities in the county seat were severely damaged by the torrential rain disaster," said Li Yangpo, deputy general manager at the power supply bureau of Zhaoqing under the Guangdong branch of CSG.

The power supply company mobilized a repair force of over 4,000 personnel, deploying 67 generator trucks, nine drainage vehicles, and four drainage robots. The full-scale power restoration work commenced on the evening of Wednesday when floodwaters had receded sufficiently to permit access, Li said.

Currently, local post-disaster recovery and production resumption are progressing in an orderly manner, according to authorities. All damaged communication base stations in Huaiji have been fully restored, and pipeline gas supply has been resumed to all residential communities across the county.

The county waterworks has resumed normal operation. Although the four severely affected villages are still waiting for the full water supply restoration, temporary supplies have been in place.

The Guangdong Provincial Department of Emergency Management, together with the provincial food and strategic reserves administration, has urgently allocated about 2.37 million yuan ($330,000) worth of relief supplies to disaster-affected areas. These supplies have been transported by helicopter to key flood-stricken towns and villages.

ALSO READ: China braces for more heavy rainfall, floods

As of 9:00 am Saturday, 82 street flusher trucks, 112 garbage trucks, 10 dump trucks and 73 loaders had been deployed for road dredging and debris clearance operations in the county seat.

The National Development and Reform Commission on Wednesday said that it has allocated 60 million yuan from China's central budget to bolster flood relief efforts in Guangdong.

The funds will be directed toward restoring infrastructure and public services in Guangdong's affected regions, according to the commission. 

Heavy rainfall in Hunan province

Since Wednesday, northern and northwestern Hunan province in Central China have been struck by torrential rains, which have affected more than 400,000 people in seven cities and prefecture-level areas, including Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, and the cities of Zhangjiajie and Changde, the provincial water resources, meteorological and emergency management departments said on Saturday.

Average rainfall across Hunan since Wednesday had reached 68.5 millimeters by 5:00 pm on Saturday, with the rainfall across Zhangjiajie, Changde, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture and the city of Huaihua exceeding 100 millimeters. The highest cumulative rainfall of 664.5 millimeters was recorded in a township in Sangzhi county of Zhangjiajie.

The provincial meteorological bureau elevated its emergency response measures for meteorological disasters resulting from rainstorms from Level III to Level II at 6:00 pm Thursday.

The provincial emergency management commission also issued a notice on Thursday evening, stating that it had elevated its flood control emergency response from Level IV to Level III from 9:00 pm Thursday.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. The national emergency response system also has four tiers, with Level I being the highest.

Authorities have, notably, strengthened early warning and emergency notifications for key locations - issuing 1.39 million targeted alerts and 16,000 text warning messages. These measures have facilitated the timely evacuation of over 95,000 residents from vulnerable areas.

A batch of relief supplies had been dispatched to Hunan province, said China's disaster management and strategic reserves authorities on Saturday.

These supplies comprised 81,500 items such as tents, folding beds, quilts and mattresses, and will help in effectively relocating affected residents and ensuring their basic living needs, according to the National Disaster Reduction Commission, the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

READ MORE: China's northern, southern regions enter flooding season in June

According to meteorological and hydrological forecasts, from Saturday to June 23, heavy to torrential rain will occur in central and northern Hunan, with heavy downpours anticipated in southern Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, western Changde, central and northern Huaihua, and western Yiyang.

The province is expected to receive average rainfall of approximately 100 millimeters over the next week, with around 180 millimeters anticipated in the Lishui and Yuanshui river basins - which significantly increases the risk of major flood events.

Local authorities have urged heightened vigilance for river flooding, mountain torrents and geological disasters, safety risks at small and medium-sized reservoirs, and urban waterlogging.