Shanghai Daily news

A villager tries to recover valuables from the debris left by floods that killed at least 22 people in Hunan Province. Thirty-five others were missing, and rescue workers have evacuated 60,000 people to higher ground. China prepares for the rainy season.
(Photo: Xinhua)

At least 22 people have been killed in central China and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes by floods touched off by the start of the annual rainy season.
Flooding in Hunan Province was triggered by storms that began on Monday and affected 24 counties and cities, cutting off communications and power supplies and blocking traffic.
In Xinshao County alone, more than 10 villages were inundated and more than 45 houses collapsed at dawn yesterday when most villagers were asleep. Eleven bodies were found, but authorities believe the death toll will rise as 35 people remain missing.
More than 60,000 people have been evacuated to higher ground.
The other deaths were confirmed in Loudi City, where 20,000 people were trapped by rising water, Xinhua news agency reported late yesterday.
In Xinshao, a disaster-relief headquarters was set up and police were called in to assist the rescue efforts and maintain orders.
Five Hunan cities and counties reported rainfall exceeding 100 millimeters, with as much as 200 millimeters in some areas.
Meteorologists warned that more storms were due to hit the province, along with other parts of southern China including Guizhou, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. Forecasters were predicting high winds and possible hail as well.
Flood control authorities across China have been told to intensify their efforts as the nation braces for the coming rainy period.
The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters is forecasting heavy rainfall and possible severe flooding in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the coming three months, according to Wang Shucheng, the organization's deputy chief and minister of water resources.
Wang extended the alert to the Yellow River, especially within the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and northern parts of the Loess Plateau, where heavy rains are predicted.
In Shanghai, officials at flood control headquarters are concerned that rising river tides and the higher-than-average rainfall forecast over the summer represent a serious threat to the city.
The Shanghai Flood Control and Prevention Headquarters and two other departments jointly issued a notice Tuesday urging the city's 8,000-plus construction sites to prepare for the flood season.
The vulnerable construction sites include 50 key projects that could sustain storm-sewer backups in the event of heavy rains.
Thousands of people die in China almost every year during the rainy season from June through September.
Last year, 1,069 people were confirmed killed and 274 were lost to the floods, most of which took place in mountainous, poverty-stricken areas. The total population affected by flooding exceeded 115 million, and direct economic losses amounted to more than 66 billion yuan (US$7.9 billion).