What do you do when floodwaters, tornadoes and landslides strike all at once?
For thousands across China, survival has become the only priority.
At least 17 people have died and hundreds have been injured after powerful storms battered several regions.
More than 130,000 residents have been evacuated.
The hardest-hit area, Guangxi, saw six deaths as torrential rain from Typhoon Maysak caused reservoirs to burst and more than 40 rivers to overflow.
Another 11 people were killed by violent thunderstorms and gale-force winds in Hubei province.
Rescue teams in life jackets searched flooded communities by boat as emergency shelters filled with displaced families.
In one of the storm’s more unusual scenes, hundreds of snakes escaped from a breeding farm after floodwaters swept through the area.
Severe Flood Emergency
The incident sent frightened villagers scrambling to catch them.
President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to “go all out” with rescue operations.
Officials warned that swollen rivers and weakened dams remain a serious threat.
Meanwhile, a separate landslide in Gansu province claimed five more lives, with rescuers still searching for missing people.
Scientists have repeatedly warned that climate change is making extreme weather more frequent and more intense.
Nature has once again delivered a harsh reminder: when the weather turns extreme, preparation can mean the difference between recovery and tragedy.
