Residents in South China's Guangdong Province are bracing themselves for another round of heavy showers following the storms that claimed at least 21 lives just over a week ago.

Downpours were recorded in most parts of the province yesterday and the day before.

The Guangdong Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Department issued an emergency notice last Saturday evening on dealing with rainstorms.

According to the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Observatory, last Saturday's brief but strong thunderstorms in the Pearl River Delta represented the third time since the rainy season started in April that the region has confronted such strong storms.

There were also strong storms on April 24 and May 14.

Thunderstorms are the world's fourth most destructive category of climate, following tropical cyclones, earthquakes and water logging.

Most parts of Guangdong Province yesterday had some rain, with the southwest suffering downpours and rainstorms.

Dongguan, Foshan, Shunde and another six cities issued a rainstorm yellow alert on Sunday. Huizhou, southeast of Guangzhou, issued a higher red alert.

The emergency notice issued on Saturday emphasizes the importance of minimizing any loss of human life and working to avoid any reoccurrence of the rain disaster that struck the cities of Heyuan and Meizhou in northern Guangdong the weekend before last.

At least 21 people died and eight went missing due to mountain torrents and landslides that followed hours of heavy rain in the mountainous regions.

A climate-monitoring system, the transfer of people from landslide-hit areas, and the repair of damaged bridges and roads are all part of intensive preparations now taking place.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has always circulated a list of key areas for flood-prevention work. The list includes five major rivers that pass through Guangdong - the Beijiang, Dongjiang, Hanjiang, Pearl River and Xijiang.

Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua is responsible for flood-prevention work for the Beijiang, while Deputy Governor Li Ronggen is in charge of work on the other four rivers.

Most parts of the province are expected to be cloudy in the coming days, with showers forecast for some southwestern parts up to Thursday.

(China Daily May 27, 2003)