Rain‑soaked Chaos: A Bus, a Reservoir, and a Roaring Storm
When the heavens decided to pour down a record‑breaking 426 mm of rain over Wuhan on Sunday, the city turned into a soggy scene straight out of a bad weather report. Giant pumps whirred like angry bees, sucking water from streets that looked more like a lake than a thoroughfare.
When a Bus Meets a Reservoir
In the southwestern province of Guizhou, a high‑school bus meant for the first day of the nation’s college entrance exams took a disastrous detour: it plunged into a reservoir in Anshun. The outcome? Casualties still under investigation. The footage that made the news was so dramatic that even the local news wanted to add a dramatic score.
Nationwide Toll & Economic Toll
Friday’s roll‑call showed that the rainfall had already claimed or left missing a staggering 119 people across 8 provinces. Emergency officials estimated the economic damage to exceed 40 billion yuan—equivalent to roughly S$7.9 billion. If you’re measuring in “what could happen if everyone gets a lecture on weather prep,” that’s a lot of room for improvement.
More Rain on the Horizon
- Guizhou, Anhui, Hunan & Hubei: Expected to gather 250–280 mm (10–11 inches) on Tuesday.
- Qianjiang, Hubei: Became the first city to hit a Level I flood alert after roads and fields turned into a quick‑sand nightmare.
- Hubei & Hunan: Orange (second‑highest) alerts issued; some rivers rose 2–3 m above warning, leaving farmers worried about their rice paddies.
Exam Day Drama
With nearly 11 million students slated to test their college‑prep muscles, the meteorological agency urged parents to heed the forecasts: “Let’s not let nature double‑check our students’ readiness.”
Some schools in Anhui had to push the exams back, declaring the mud‑logged weekend as the “worst flood in 50 years.”
The Takeaway
Between a giant swing of a batter‑in‑the‑sky, a bus that needed to haunt students’ minds, and national exams turning into a soggy scramble, the day proved that nature likes to play the ultimate prank. The sheer effort to rescue and keep the students ready for exams—even when the roads are canals—shows how resilient China’s education system remains.
