The heavy rainfall in Hainan province has drastically affected 158 villages, including Wanning City.
In the past few days, the rainfall average was recorded at 510 mm in some parts of Wanning while some villages recorded an average of 300 mm since Friday, Dec. 15.
The Hainan Meteorological Service warned that the heavy rains may continue this week in the eastern part of the province and could trigger more flooding and landslides.
Provincial and municipal authorities have initiated massive rescue and relief missions. Authorities say around 150,000 people have been evacuated since last week. It is estimated that more than 15 million people are affected by the flooding in varying degrees.
The toll on the economy is also heavy with at least 1.5 billion yuan worth of damaged property in Wanning City alone. These include residential areas, business districts, infrastructure, vehicles and consumer goods.
Losses in agriculture are initially estimated at 450 million yuan worth of damaged crops planted to an area of thirteen acres. Damage to aquaculture and marine resources, on the other hand, is estimated at 680 million yuan covering 1.7 acres.
The sustained heavy rainfall also brought down phone lines and cellular sites and caused traffic congestions in many areas as some highways and bridges were rendered impassable.
The provincial government deployed more than 400 police officers to maintain public order as relief distribution went underway.