BEIJING — China's Ministry of Emergency Management has sent a team to Hubei province to facilitate rescue since rainstorms from the night of Aug 11 to the noon of Aug 12 caused blackouts, disrupted communication, and stranded people in parts of the province.

The most severely hit regions include Suizhou, Xiangyang, and Xiaogan in Hubei, the ministry said.

The province's fire and rescue department has dispatched 173 professional members and 13 boats to aid the regions, the ministry said.

Heavy downpours have affected more than 100,000 residents since Aug 8. As of 10 am on Aug 12, the latest spell of torrential rains had triggered multiple natural disasters such as flooding and hailstorms.

Torrential rains are expected to persist until Aug 13 and may cause flooding and other geological disasters, forecasts from the Hubei Meteorological Service said.

As of 9 pm, the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management jointly activated a level-IV emergency response to floods.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.