Latest: China's rapid response to the flood-hit southwest China

China terminated the highest-level emergency flood response in Rongjiang County, southwest Guizhou Province at 10 a.m. on Sunday as the heavy rainfall ended, according to local authorities.

Guizhou Province and other bordering provinces in southwest China have been hit by torrential rain since June 18, resulting in severe flooding. Rongjiang County was affected the worst.

Local authorities marked the region into seven flood-affected areas and evacuated residents to higher places. More than 40,000 people had been moved to safer areas due to the flood risk as of 6 p.m. on Saturday,  an official told CGTN.

Heavy flooding returned to Rongjiang County on Saturday, prompting local authorities to reactivate the highest-level emergency flood response, effective from 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

China has allocated an additional 100 million yuan (about $13.96 million) from the central budget to support emergency response and recovery efforts in flood-hit Guizhou Province, bringing the total to 200 million yuan, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

According to Qiao Qi, the chief forecaster at the Guizhou Provincial Meteorological Bureau, strong rainfall has occurred across China's southwestern region, extending to the Jianghuai area between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, during the past week.

"Actually, from mid-to-late June to early July each year, China's southern regions, including Guizhou, are prone to heavy rainfall," Qiao said, adding that this year's rainfall coincides with the plum rain season, also known as Meiyu season, which is characterized by a prolonged period of continuous heavy or moderate rain in regions along the Yangtze River, particularly its middle and lower reaches. 

Qiao explained that there has been a strong development of the Southwest Monsoon, transporting abundant moisture from the Indian Ocean and the Northwest Pacific to Guizhou Province and the Jianghuai area. Simultaneously, cold air from the north has moved southward. 

"The convergence and persistence of this warm and cold air mass from Guizhou to the Jianghuai region have formed a wide, east-west oriented rain belt spanning this area," Qiao said.