Moving around inventory has become hardware store owner Wu Hongyu's new normal these days.

His store in Xiejiatan Township, Poyang County, east China's Jiangxi Province, had been submerged for three days. His was among 1,500 flooded after a reservoir on a nearby river was forced to discharge floodwater on July 7.

Flash rains make his cleaning and dry-off efforts even harder, as the 45-year-old had to bring the electronics and machineries back inside the store, and vice versa.

Since July, 31 people have died or are missing and 23.85 million others have been affected due to floods in 24 provincial regions, including east China's Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Sunday.

"I assumed the water level would be similar to that of the floods in 1998," Wu said, referring to the great inundation in Chinese history. "So, we shelved all of them at a height above one meter in here."

But the water level was about 1.5 meters higher than expected and continued to rise the next day.

Damages to the town, including houses and farmland are estimated at more than 300 million yuan, or about 43 million U.S. dollars.

"The loss is a big blow to these private businesses mainly owned by villagers from the countryside in the context of first the COVID-19 and now the flood," said Zhang Shangshan, secretary of the Party Committee of the township.

For Wu, the economic loss exceeds 170,000 U.S. dollars. Damaged goods were taken away by several loads, while his six warehouses were also submerged.

"My wife cried hysterically on the day of the flood," the husband said. "She cried and couldn't speak over the phone with her mother."

The couple began clean​-up efforts immediately the water receded. "Passers-by were shocked to see soaked goods outside, many of them came to help clean," Wu noted.

Without insurance, Wu says he is on his own. Only a few manufacturers agree​d to refund him​ for his losses, most won't. The local government says it's working to approve policies to help these businesses, like offering interest-free loans.

"Some have helped me by purchasing even those soaked goods," Wu said, citing the water pumps that were piled before are now almost sold out.

"My clients respect me and treat me well," he added.