In the middle of June 2016, severe rain showers in the southern regions of China caused deadly floods. In July, the situation worsened. Our article will talk about this natural disaster.
Deadly flood in southern China
Heavy rains in the southern Chinese provinces began on June 14. As a result of the flood, 14 people died on the same day. During the week, the flood claimed the lives of another 22 people. By June 20, more than three million people were affected by the natural disaster, another 200 thousand had to be evacuated. 11,000 homes were destroyed, the damage amounted to 2.8 billion Chinese yuan (about 400 million dollars).
On June 23, a tornado occurred in the regions of Yining and Shenyang (Jiangsu Province). At least 100 people died, another 900 were seriously injured. One can safely say that this tornado is the most destructive in China over the past fifty years.
By the end of June, most of the southeastern provinces had been hit by a terrible natural disaster. The areas along the Yangtze River have suffered the most. More than two hundred thousand buildings were damaged, financial losses amounted to 30 billion yuan (four billion dollars).
In July, a landslide descended on a suburb of Bitsze settlement, 23 people died, 7 were injured. A suburb of Liuzhou (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) was flooded by the waters of the Liujiang River. At the end of July, a village in the Kunlun mountains suffered from a landslide, 40 people died.
Chinese disaster
In China, floods are a constant problem. Flooding of a similar scale in the Middle Kingdom occurred in 1998.
The population of the country is constantly waiting for decisive action from the government in the fight against this harsh natural phenomenon. The death toll from floods and severe rains decreases annually, which is facilitated by high government spending on protection from water flows, as well as efforts to evacuate areas when water levels become dangerous.
For Chinese leaders, floods are a test of their ability to deliver on their promises to keep their citizens safe.
In the past, flood protection in the country was rather weak and ineffective due to inaction of officials and corruption, but Minister Li Keqiang and other leaders said that in 2016 the government organized better rescue operations than ever. But is it really so?
However, experts and residents of the areas affected by the rains, said that local authorities are not involved in improving the drainage system and drain water flows into lakes, as a result of which cities are constantly flooded.
Total damage and human casualties
Where are the most severe floods in China? The greatest damage from flooding was done to numerous settlements located along the Yangtze River, a full-flowing river regularly leaves the banks.
As a result of the summer flood in China, a total of 32 million people were affected, more than 20 Chinese provinces suffered losses, more than 200 people died. 300 thousand hectares of land were destroyed, the damage to the economy amounted to just over 5 billion dollars.