Heilongjiang Issues Flood Warnings as Recovery Accelerates

Heilongjiang Province issued three successive flood warnings on the evening of August 3, as authorities continued to grapple with the aftermath of severe flooding that has affected multiple areas across the northeastern Chinese province. At the same time, flood-affected communities are accelerating efforts to restore production and daily life, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The provincial water resources and meteorological departments issued a blue warning for medium and small river flood risk at 20:00, covering the Daqing urban area, Dorbod, Tailai, Qiqihar urban area, Longjiang, Zhaoyuan, Zhaozhou, Anda, and Zhaodong. This was followed by a severe convective weather warning at 21:20 for areas including Zhaoyuan, Zhaozhou, Zhaodong, and the Harbin urban area, with forecasts of short-duration heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with maximum hourly precipitation of 40-60 millimeters. At 22:00, a red rainstorm warning was issued for the Zhaozhou area, where cumulative rainfall was expected to exceed 100 millimeters, as Guangming Online reported.

Escalating Emergency Response

The latest warnings come amid an already elevated state of emergency. On July 31, the Heilongjiang Provincial Meteorological Disaster Emergency Command upgraded the major meteorological disaster (heavy rain) emergency response from Level III to Level II, as reported by Guangming Online. The upgrade followed forecasts of heavy to very heavy rain across central and eastern Heilongjiang from July 31 through August 2, with cumulative precipitation of 220-300 millimeters expected in some areas.

The Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV flood defense emergency response for Heilongjiang Province on August 1 at 13:00, dispatching three working groups to assist and guide flood defense efforts, according to Guangming Daily. The ministry warned that the Songhua River’s Gann River tributary could experience a numbered flood, while the Jiamusi section of the Songhua River mainstem and the Tangwang River could exceed warning levels.

At 1:00 on August 1, the Ant River at the Yanshou hydrological station in Harbin rose to 149.84 meters, exceeding the warning level by 0.02 meters, and was designated as Ant River 2026 No. 2 Flood.

Central Government Relief Efforts

The National Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief Committee Office and the Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched working groups to Jilin and Heilongjiang on August 1 to assess disaster conditions. Together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, they allocated 11,000 central disaster relief items—including blankets, quilts, and family emergency kits—to support affected residents, as reported by Xinhua News Agency via China.com.cn.

In Qingyang Village, Shangzhi City, 64-year-old villager Wang Lijun described the government’s swift response. “These quilts, blankets, and emergency kits were all distributed by the government,” he said. “The flood came so fast, our bedding and clothes at home were all soaked. The government’s relief supplies arrived very promptly. Inside the emergency kit there are slippers, toiletries, and even hydrogen peroxide for disinfection.”

Wang Gang, Director of the Shangzhi City Emergency Management Bureau, said the central disaster relief supplies have been fully distributed in the local area. “Currently, floodwaters across the city’s affected areas have fully receded,” he stated. “We are organizing transportation, electricity, communications, and agriculture departments to carry out emergency repairs, racing against time while ensuring quality, to help affected residents return to normal production and daily life.”

Damage Across Multiple Sectors

The flooding has caused significant damage across multiple sectors. Multiple forestry bureau areas under Longjiang Sen’gong Group’s Yabuli Forestry Bureau suffered varying degrees of flood damage, with forest roads and bridges damaged. In the severely affected Baoshan Forest Farm, bridges and roads were damaged, and power and transportation were temporarily cut off, as CCTV reported. The Yabuli Forestry Bureau has established a daily morning and evening flood prevention meeting system, according to Sohu.

In Ning’an City, under Mudanjiang, severe flooding on July 29 resulted from Jingpo Lake overflow combined with heavy rainfall. The Xiama River bridge on the G201 national highway was destroyed—about 50 meters collapsed—railway roadbeds were washed out, and several villages lost contact.

The Epoch Times reported that villagers described repeated flooding, with one resident noting, “We’ve been flooded twice in a little over ten days. After the first flood, the crops were already dead. The second flood was adding insult to injury.”

Heilongjiang is China’s largest grain-producing province, and the agricultural impact has been severe. Farmers in affected areas described total crop failure, with one villager from Ning’an City saying, “Farmers are the most pitiful. Once the fields are flooded, it’s total crop failure. As long as people are safe, that’s the most important thing.”

Broader Context and Outlook

The 2026 flooding in Heilongjiang has been associated with the remnants of Typhoon Bavi, which brought extreme rainfall to the region. The province, which borders Russia in northeastern China, has a history of severe flooding—the 2005 Shalan Town flood and mudslide in Ning’an City killed 117 people according to official reports.

As the province continues to issue warnings and coordinate recovery efforts, the focus remains on both immediate flood defense and long-term restoration. With additional rainfall expected in the coming days, authorities are urging continued vigilance while affected communities work to rebuild. The CNR reported that the medium and small river flood risk warnings extend across multiple counties, underscoring the breadth of the ongoing threat.

The coming days will be critical as Heilongjiang balances ongoing flood defense with the urgent task of helping residents return to normal life. The province’s agricultural heartland faces a long road to recovery, and the effectiveness of both emergency response and long-term flood prevention measures will shape the region’s resilience to increasingly frequent extreme weather events.