(Clearwisdom.net) According to the China Civil Administration Bureau, as at July 8, over 100 million residents in 24 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and Xinjiang Bingtuan were suffering from various degrees of disastrous flooding. The number of flood victims and the flooded crop areas reached the highest point since the 1990s. The damage in the following areas was the worst: 9 provinces (Shanxi, Fujian, Hunan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guangxi, Hubei, Jiangxi, Quizhou), autonomous regions, and municipalities.
According to a Xinhua News Agency report on July 12, 793 people died in floods, 1.7 million residents have been evacuated, 770,000 buildings have collapsed, 2.02 million buildings were damaged, and 8 million hectares of crops were ravaged. The estimated economic loss may exceed 30 billion Yuan (almost US$4 billion). Water treatment facilities, transportation, communication, hydroelectric and other essential infrastructure facilities have suffered severe damage in disaster areas.
A head officer in the Civil Administration Bureau said that the recent floods shared four common characteristics. First, the disasters occurred earlier than usual in the season. Flooding in some north provinces, such as Shanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, occurred at the beginning of the June, one month earlier than usual. Second, the disasters covered broader areas. Almost all of China has suffered from various degrees of flooding. Third, sudden disasters, such as flash floods, landslides, and mud-rock flows have caused heavy casualties. Fourth, disasters occurred repeatedly in some areas. Some provinces, such as Hunan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guangxi, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Quizhou, had several periods of heavy rainfall. Some areas were struck by another disaster before they could recover from the previous one. The repeated disasters have severely impacted the lives and property of millions of residents.
