Tropical storm Chanthu drenched southern China today after killing two people and knocking down thousands of homes in Guangdong province.
Almost 3,000 homes collapsed in the storm’s strong gales and heavy rains, leading to 2.2 billion yuan ($325 million) of estimated losses and affected 1.35 million people as of 8 p.m. local time yesterday, Xinhua News Agency reported. Chanthu moved late yesterday northwest from Guangdong into neighboring Guangxi province, which was ravaged by floods in June, the China Meteorological Administration said.
Downpours from Chanthu are set to deluge four southern provinces today, with western and central regions of China also forecast to receive torrential rains, as President Hu Jintao called for increased flood control and relief efforts. Flooding in China has killed more than 700 people this year, the most in more than a decade.
At least 45 people have been killed by flooding and landslides in western China’s Shaanxi province, triggered by downpours in the region from July 14, the local government said in a statement posted to the State Council Information Office. The storms also destroyed 27,160 houses and damaged 101,000 hectares of farmland, with losses estimated at 2.49 billion yuan, Xinhua reported.
Floods in neighboring Sichuan province have killed 32 people, left 38 missing and forced the evacuation of almost 1 million residents, Xinhua reported separately.
Rain Forecast
Both Shaanxi and Sichuan are forecast to receive heavy rain today along with the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Henan and Gansu.
Flooding in China has killed 701 people and left 347 others missing this year, Ministry of Water Resources and the flood control office said in a July 21 joint statement. Since July 8, floods have killed 187 people and left 173 missing, according to the statement.
Premier Wen Jiabao visited southern China twice last month, when flooding in the provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian killed more than 200 people. Downpours from Chanthu may again cause floods and landslides in parts of southern China, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on its website.
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Satellite image of Chanthu before it made landfall 
Two people are dead and thousands of others lost their homes in southern China after . The Typhoon made landfall in the  province with winds that reached 126 kilometers per hour (78 miles per hour). The storm caused approximatively 2.2 billion  (325 million, 251 million) worth of damages.

Chanthu caused downpours in China's southern provinces, with central and western provinces expected to flood as well. The Typhoon prompted President Hu Jintao to call for increased flood control measures. Chanthu is the latest in a string of recent violent storms followed by massive floods. 

So far this year 701 people have been killed by flooding, the highest since 1998. Along with that 347 people are missing and presumed dead. Storms have also destroyed 27,160 houses and 101,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of farmland.