CCTV9英语新闻：Authorities take measures for expected flooding（在线收听）

Torrential rainstorms have hit most areas in southern China. Various rivers have swollen to levels higher than those of 1998, a year when disastrous floods ravaged the same region, killing thousands and displacing millions. Authorities are proactively taking measures to prepare for the floods.

A road in Wuhan City looked like a flowing river after a sudden rainstorm Wednesday morning caused flash floods. People waded through deep floodwaters that reached up to their thighs.

“I took off my shoes because they were completely filled with water. I'll have to swim to the dorm if I want to go back,” said a student of Hubei University of Economics.

Authorities in areas along the Yangtze and Pearl rivers have taken measures to prepare for the rainstorms and floods.

In Shanghai, the flood prevention department installed pre-warning machines under overpasses in low-lying areas to monitor water levels. Hunan authorities reinforced dams. Bags of sand and water pumps were put in place for areas along the Pearl River.

“Huge flooding may come in middle and late June. Now authorities in areas along the Pearl River are ready for the floods,” said He Zhibo, Pearl River Water Resource Commission.