At least 60 fatalities, 37 missing as severe floods continue affecting China

At least 60 people have lost their lives and 37 others remain missing in eastern China due to widespread floods caused by heavy rains over the past 10 days. The missing people include 51 in Beijing, 28 in Hebei, 15 in Jilin, and 3 in Fujian.

As of Wednesday, August 9, 2023, at least 60 people died while 33 are still missing since the end of July, more than 200 000 houses have been damaged, and more than 15 000 ha (37 065 acres) of cropland have been flooded.

China’s finance ministry announced a significant allocation of 732 million yuan (approximately $102.3 million USD) for disaster relief, targeting the revival of agricultural production impacted by recent floods. The joint initiative by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will distribute these funds across nine provincial regions, including Hebei and Fujian, and to the Beidahuang Group, a key agricultural conglomerate.

The financial support is intended for urgent flood control efforts, disaster relief activities, and to bolster post-disaster agricultural operations. Subsidies are earmarked for essentials like seeds and fertilizers, as well as repairs to damaged agricultural facilities.

This move comes in the wake of the devastation caused by Typhoon “Doksuri,” which resulted in record-breaking rains in northern China, leading to extensive crop damage and urban flooding.

During the four days from July 29 to August 2, three stations in western Beijing recorded rainfall exceeding 1 000 mm (39.37 inches), and 51 stations more than 700 mm (27.56 inches), reaching 1 to 1.5 times the annual rainfall in Beijing.

The country is still experiencing bad weather and suffering casualties.

China’s national observatory continued to issue a blue alert for Tropical Cyclone “Khanun”– which is expected to bring a new spell of rainfall to the country’s northeastern provinces.

Heavy rains are expected to lash Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces beginning Thursday, with some areas likely to be hit by rainstorms, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

The center of the system is expected to reach the southern coast of South Korea around midnight UTC on August 10, with maximum winds of 85 km/h (50 mph). 

Rainstorms are also expected to hit some regions south of the Yangtze River as well as parts of south China and Yunnan Province in the coming three days, the NMC said.

The center urged local authorities to prepare for typhoon emergency response and remain on high alert against possible floods and geological disasters.

On August 8, in Ya’an, Sichuan, more than a dozen tourists encountered a flash flood while playing in the water, and 7 people were killed.

References:

¹ Typhoon Khanun forecasted to trigger more rainfall in NE China – Xinhua – August 9, 2023

² China allocates 732 million yuan to agriculture disaster relief work – Xinhua – August 8, 2023

³ China floods update – DG ECHO – August 9, 2023

Featured image credit: Jim Yang