In mid-June 2016, heavy rains hit southern China, causing deadly floods. In July, the situation worsened even more. Our article will tell about this natural disaster.
Deadly flood in southern China
Shower rains in South China provinces began on June 14th. As a result of the flood, 14 people died on the same day. During the week, the flood claimed the lives of 22 more people. By June 20, more than three million people had been affected by the natural disaster, and another 200,000 had to be evacuated. 11,000 houses were destroyed and damage amounted to 2.8 billion Chinese yuan (about $400 million).
June 23, a tornado occurred in Funing and Shenyang districts (Jiangsu Province). At least 100 people died and another 900 were seriously injured. We can safely say that this tornado is the most destructive in China in the past fifty years.
By the end of June, most of the southeastern provinces suffered from a terrible natural disaster. Areas along the Yangtze River were hit the hardest. More than 200,000 buildings were damagedfinancial losses amounted to 30 billion yuan (four billion dollars).
In July, a landslide descended on the suburb of Bijie settlement, killing 23 people, 7 were injured. The suburbs of Liuzhou (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Prefecture) were flooded by the waters of the Liujiang River. At the end of July, a village in the Kunlun Mountains was hit by a landslide, killing 40 people.
Chinese disaster
Floods are a constant problem in China. Flooding of a similar scale in China occurred in 1998.
The country's population 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 is declining every year, fueled by large government spending on flood protection equipment, as well as efforts to evacuate areas when water levels become dangerous.
For China's leaders, the floods are a test of their ability to keep their promises to keep their citizens safe.
In the past, the country's flood protection was rather weak and ineffective due to official inaction and corruption, but Minister Li Keqiang and other leaders said that in 2016, the government organized rescue efforts better than ever. But is it really?
However, experts and residents of areas affected by the rains said that local authorities are not improving the drainage system and draining water flows into lakes, resulting in citiessubject to constant flooding.
Total damage and loss of life
Where in China are the floods that caused the most damage? The greatest damage from flooding was caused to numerous settlements that are located along the Yangtze River, a full-flowing river regularly overflows its banks.
As a result of the summer floods in China, a total of 32 million people were affected, more than 20 Chinese provinces suffered losses, and more than 200 people died. 300 thousand hectares of land were destroyed, the damage to the economy amounted to just over $5 billion.
