A torrential rainstorm has caused wide-spread floods in East China's Jiangxi Province, affecting more than 497,000 people and forcing 14,000 local residents to relocate, the Emergency Management Department of Jiangxi Province said on Sunday, noting that the damage of the disaster is still subject to further assessment.

Data released by the Jiangxi Provincial Meteorological Department showed that 10 counties and cities had experienced downpours, 34 had heavy downpours while 63 had heavy rains, leading to floods in mountainous areas and villages in the province since Thursday.

At the same time, a total of 21 rivers in southern China, including those in Jiangxi Province, have experienced flood water levels exceeding warning levels. Some rivers have seen the largest floods ever recorded. The Ministry of Water Resources has called on local authorities to make every effort to strengthen their defenses against heavy rain and floods.

The weather forecast showed that the heavy rainfall had eased in the province as of Saturday night, while precipitation persisted in some areas.

Earlier on Saturday, Jiangxi provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters issued a level-four emergency response, demanding all relevant departments to engage in flood control in accordance with the division of responsibilities and contingency plans.

A number of townships in Fuzhou received more than 250 millimeters of precipitation within 24 hours, among which the precipitation in Chongren County reached 304 millimeters. Heavy rainfall caused rivers to surge, leaving farmland flooded in addition to large-scale urban flooding, leaving some local residents still trapped.

A resident surnamed Zhang in Jiangxi told Global Times on Sunday that the heavy rain and floods had a severe impact on their daily life. "The thunderstorms and heavy rain have been going on since early morning, and nearby schools have already suspended classes," Zhang said.

"The heavy rainfall in the region where I'm living has lasted for a whole day and night without stopping. A nearby bridge is only three meters away from being totally submerged in the river," Zhang added.

Moreover, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters launched a level-four emergency response on Saturday, dispatching an expert group to the scene to guide rescue efforts, and mobilizing more than 500 police, firefighters and other departments to participate in the rescue, and arranging excavators, transport vehicles and a large number of stones, wooden piles and other flood control materials to block the breach.

The local government in Fuzhou City has transferred and evacuated 352 people trapped in flood-ravaged areas. As of Saturday, firefighters had rescued 14 trapped people in the affected areas. However, many local residents remain trapped in some villages, with officials saying that these residents were not in immediate danger.

At present, the water level in areas that had suffered heavy rainfall has receded, and local departments are still carrying out emergency rescue.

Zeng Mingyang, an engineer in Fengcheng, Jiangxi, told the Global Times that water level has been receding and the repair of the dyke which has a more-than-30-meter breach is under way.

The breach is not far from the Beijing-Jiujiang Railway, an important transportation artery. Zeng said the breach has no impact on safety of the railroad.

Heavy rain is expected to hit parts of Jiangxi and South China's Guangdong Province on Sunday, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, urging emergency rescue be organized as soon as possible to ensure the safety of important infrastructure such as railways, and properly relocate residents at risk.

The Ministry of Water Resources said that it will closely monitor the changes in rainfall and strengthen monitoring, forecasting and warning measures in response to recent heavy rainfall and floods in southern China. Notifications have been issued to provinces such as Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan and Guangdong, where heavy rainfall is expected, to make preparations for disasters in small and medium-sized rivers, flood control of reservoirs and inspection and defense of embankments.

In the event of heavy rain, floods and emergencies, the Ministry of Water Resources will dispatch work groups to the scene to guide the prevention and response to heavy rain and floods, water project scheduling and emergency handling.