People wade across a flooded street following heavy rains which caused flooding and claimed the lives of at least 33 people earlier in the week, in the city of Zhengzhou in China's Henan province on July 23, 2021.
People wade across a flooded street following heavy rains which caused flooding and claimed the lives of at least 33 people earlier in the week, in the city of Zhengzhou in China's Henan province on July 23, 2021.
Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images

Floods devastated China's Henan province this week after eight months' worth of rain fell in just 24 hours during a storm that publications are calling a "once in a thousand-year event" that left "scientists stunned."

The extreme flooding in China killed 33 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more as residents were evacuated by rescue teams across the region. Historic floods also damaged several communities in Europe, with more than 200 people killed.

New drone footage from the BBC shows the flooding's impact in Zhengzhou, a factory town known as "iPhone City." An estimated 350,000 residents are employed here at the world's largest iPhone-assembly plant, which produces almost half of Apple's most popular products. Many of the workers live on factory campuses.

Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Twitter that the company "will be donating to support relief efforts" in Germany, Belgium, and Western Europe. Apple did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on how it is responding to the flooding in China.

The Zhengzhou iPhone factory is operated by Foxconn Technology Group, a company based in Taiwan. Foxconn did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Foxconn told The Wall Street Journal that it implemented a flood control emergency response plan. According to the Journal, water entered the factory and the power went out - other than that, the facility has not been impacted by the flooding.

Tragic videos show people stranded inside Zhengzhou's flooded subway system, where 12 people died. Footage of rescue workers saving a 4-month-old baby girl has gone viral in China, the BBC reported on Friday. Nearby, the infant's mother was found dead, "frozen in a position that seemed like she was lifting something up."

Experts say that the extreme weather taking place across the world this week is a consequence of the climate crisis. According to Apple's most recent environmental report, the company is transitioning its entire manufacturing supply chain to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030, including suppliers like Foxconn.

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