Typhoon-triggered rainstorm leaves 23 dead, 9 missing

 WUHAN/SHENYANG/BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-three people have been confirmed dead and nine others remained missing after typhoons Damrey and Saola tore through China's eastern coastal¹ regions over the weekend, local authorities said Monday.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, 14 people had been confirmed dead and five remained missing due to heavy rain in 14 counties and districts in central China's Hubei province, which was hit by Saola, the provincial² flood control headquarters said in its latest brief.

Rainstorms and rain-triggered mudslides have destroyed nearly 9,200 houses and damaged at least 15,000 others. Over 135,000 local residents have been forced to relocate or are in grave need of daily necessities, according to the statement.

Severe rainfall also added to flood-control pressure on reservoirs in Danjiangkou, a water resource zone for the country's massive south-to-north water diversion project.

At 8 p.m., the National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry³ of Civil Affairs initiated⁴ a level-four emergency response plan for the affected⁵ areas and sent teams to assist with relief work.

Provincial authorities of northeast China's Liaoning province said on Monday morning that at least nine people have died due to typhoon Damrey and another four remained missing.

Damrey also temporarily disrupted rail services in Liaoning on Saturday, affecting more than 2 million people.

In the city of Xiuyan, where six of the deaths occurred, the typhoon cut off electricity, paralyzed road traffic and damaged drinking water facilities. More than 110,000 people there have been affected.

In the city of Benxi, heavy flooding on the Sandaohe and Xihe rivers trapped more than 300 construction workers in a tunnel on Monday morning. Firefighters dispatched to the site are currently building a ropeway to pull the workers out of the tunnel.

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。