In this case, it appears the government is actually reporting that some people died in the floods, which leads me to believe that the scale of the event was so large that they have to report something. We'll likely never know the true extent of the tragedy.

It looks like I spoke too soon. China is indeed censoring reports on this round of floods.

Foreign journalists harassed in China over floods coverage

Reporters confronted in street and accused of ‘smearing China’ amid increasing sensitivity to any negative portrayals of China

Foreign journalists reporting on the aftermath of China’s flooding disaster have faced hostile confrontations in the street and been subjected to “vicious campaigns”, amid increasing nationalistic sensitivity to any negative portrayals of China.

Reporters from the Los Angeles Times and German outlet Deutsche Welle were confronted by an angry crowd in Zhengzhou on Saturday, who filmed and questioned them, and accused them of “rumour mongering” and slandering China. Other journalists have also been targeted, with a specific focus on the BBC.