Heavy rains have been pounding the central and southern parts of China over the past few days, leading to severe floods in multiple regions. Severe floods have hit the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River - as well as some nearby rivers and lakes – since the end of June.

Among them, central China’s Hunan Province witnessed some of the most devastating floods, almost all of which is concentrated in the rural areas. And more than 260,000 people have been displaced due to the heavy rains, according to the provincial flood control office.

We visited one of the worst affected villages in Hengdong County, which is only one of the over 200 villages that have been pounded and inundated by the heavy rains over the past few days.

Upon our arrival, a rescue team mainly comprised of the Chinese military personnel were working around the clock to salvage the villagers’ property. The only way in and out of the village was by boat, as the flood water reached three to four meters in the wake of two major dam breaks that occurred on Wednesday.

We jumped on the boat and the rescue team ferried us into the village, which was totally isolated from the outside with communication networks down. And power-generating facilities were non-existent.

“The water yesterday was around four meters deep. It has now gone down by one meter. Part of the challenge is the flooded area is quite expansive. And the people trapped are scattered. There are power outages, and the communication networks are totally down. Many villagers are not reachable, and we have to search for people house by house,” said Huang Xiang, head of the rescue crew.

Quite the contrary to my expectations, many villagers chose to stay put in their houses, hoping to keep their property safe. But as more rains are expected to come back and batter the village again, staying inside their houses might be too big of a risk. Houses in the village – like many others in central and southern China – are usually three or four stories high, which makes it possible for some to make do on the upper floor when the ground floor is inundated.

As we – together with the rescue team – searched through the lake-like village, one villager called for help.

“There used to be crops around my house, and I had a tea garden behind it. I’m staying put because I have some things in my home that I need to take care of. And I need to take out some receipts I need for my company, among other things,” said He Jianzhong.

He told us the flood has been the most severe one since 1994, and the memory is still fresh.

The flood started to recede and the water level slithered below the alert level since the torrential rains ended.

CGTN's crew the next day revisited the village, which was caked with mud following the recession of the flood. And the houses – though standing firmly – have been torn inside out, with furniture ripped apart and thrown randomly on the floor.

Villagers – as well as their families who have relocated elsewhere – are returning to their homes to clean up the mess. Food and water supplies are still a major problem. One good thing is the communication networks have been put back into operation.

“I live with my sons right now, since my home is total uninhabitable right now,” a villager told us.

17,000 people have been evacuated to the relocation centers in the villages. Food and water supplies have been delivered in bulk to the villages. Volunteers – comprised of local villagers and government officials – have been facilitating the rescue efforts.

Things are looking up for now, but more heavy rains are expected in the next couple of days.