HONG KONG - South Louisiana's residents, all too familiar with the devastating impact that heavy rainfall can have on a region, can relate to what thousands of displaced individuals in China are experiencing when nearly a year's worth of rain poured down on the country's east-central region this week. 

As of Thursday (July 22), in the metropolitan city of Zhengzhou flash floods have taken at least 25 lives and left hundreds of thousands of citizens without access to their homes, ABC News reports.

Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province and home to more than 10 million people, is one of China's major transportation and logistical hubs.

But the historic rainfall and resulting floods have threatened to disrupt area food security and supply as major roadways are inundated by floodwaters. 

Harrowing video of people stuck in flooded vehicles and subways are circulating online.

As recovery efforts continue, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the floods were "extremely severe" and "demanded that authorities at all levels must give top priority to ensuring people's safety and property," according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.