Rainfall has battered Beijing's neighboring city of Tianjin, paralyzing traffic in downtown areas and submerging many roads, despite the city's precautionary measures.

The rain, which started on Wednesday evening, hit the northern part of the city the hardest. Dasi township in the suburban Xiqing district was the worst-affected area, receiving 34.5 centimeters of rain, according to the Tianjin Meteorological Bureau. The city received an average downfall of 14.7 cm.

Fearing a repeat of the mayhem experienced in the capital on Saturday, when the heaviest rain in more than six decades caused the deaths of at least 77 people, the Tianjin government was prepared for the predicted downpour.

A bus is almost submerged in Tianjin on Thursday. Heavy rain, widely forecast, bypassed Beijing on Wednesday but battered the neighboring city. Jia Lei / for China Daily

According to Deng Fushun, director of the Tianjin Municipal Office of Civil Air Defense, the city practiced drills in the 16 districts and counties of the city on Wednesday to get ready for the emergency.

On Thursday the local fire prevention bureau sent 190 fire engines and 1,140 rescuers to help retrieve the vehicles and evacuate pedestrians stranded by the flood.

The rain has flooded many downtown streets, vehicles and even houses.

Dozens of vehicles were stranded on Baidi Road in Nankai district where many pedestrians had to walk in knee-deep water.

"The water in Xiangyang Street is waist deep," said Ma Lin, a resident in the district.

Cui Yang, from Hexi district in Tianjin, has failed to get the water out of his home, which flooded on Thursday.

"The water in my apartment has reached my knees," Cui said. "I have encountered a similar situation a few years ago and after all these years no local authorities have ever come to check the pipelines.

"In the next three hours, according to the latest weather report, we have to pack up and go to safer places," Cui said.

He Xu, an employee of DHL Express, was driving to his office in Beichen district of Tianjin at 9 am on Thursday when his car flooded.

"I have been bombarded with text messages from city authorities and online shopping companies warning of the downpour, but I did not expect the water would be this high," the 30-year-old said.

He said most workers were allowed to go home early on Thursday due to safety concerns and his company's services were suspended for a day.

Many restaurants in Tianjin closed due to flooding.

The subbranch of Go Believe on Nanjing Road, a famous brand of baozi (steamed stuffed bun), from Tianjin, flooded on Thursday morning but resumed business at about 12 pm when the water receded.

All 193 pumping stations in the city along with 24 temporary pumps, have been working, to prevent flooding, especially in low-lying areas and districts with poor drainage facilities, including Beichen district, Hongqiao district and Hebei district, the drainage department in Tianjin said.

The rain has also disrupted air traffic in the city.

Some 20 flights were canceled and 34 delayed. More than 5,000 passengers have been stranded at the airport because of the downpour.

The first flight, an incoming flight from Shanghai, landed in Tianjin after the rain subsided at 11:32 am and the first departing flight took off at 12:08 pm.

Railway transportation has not been affected, according to Jin Hua, a publicity officer at the Tianjin Railway Station.

The station has increased personnel to help the stranded passengers, said Jin.

According to the Tianjin Meteorological Bureau, because the heavy rainfall saturated soil in the mountains, it is important to be well prepared for possible geological disasters in the mountainous areas in the northern part of the city.

The downpour in the city has resulted in an economic loss of more than 140 million yuan ($22 million), with the direct economic loss in fields of agriculture reaching 137 million yuan.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn