2013 Disasters in China Cost about $70B

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
HUMAN-ENHANCED NATURAL DISASTERS
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Natural disasters cost China about $70 billion in 2013

Droughts and deluge, earthquakes and typhoons cost China about $70 billion in 2013, nearly twice the total in 2012.

The National Statistics Bureau reported flooding and mudslides cost China about $32billion in 2013, an increase of nearly 11 percent on  previous year, said Reuters.

Damage from droughts nearly quadrupled to about $15billion, while storm surges, snowfall and freezes cost an additional $7 billion.

Seismic disasters, primarily the deadly Sichuan Earthquake, added more than $16 billion to the total.

[For a comprehensive listing of disasters in China search blog content.]

China is the world’s biggest energy-related CO2 emitter (23.6% in 2009), and 2nd biggest cumulative energy-related CO2 emitter during the 158-year period between 1850 and 2008, accounting for about 9.37 % of the total.

Top Ten cumulative energy-related CO2 emitters (1850 – 2008)
1. The United States (28.56 %)
2. China (9.37%)
3. Russia (7.98%)
4. Germany (6.77%)
5. United Kingdom (5.78%)
6. Japan (3.94%)
7. France (2.75%)
8. India (2.53%)
9. Canada (2.18%)
10. Ukraine (2.14%)

Seawater intrusion affecting 2 million people in Shanghai

Meanwhile, CNTV reported:

Seawater is causing problems for two million people in Shanghai. The city is enduring its longest-lasting salt tide in more than 20 years. As of this morning, the salt tide intrusion has already lasted for 21 days, the longest since 1993. Shanghai is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

The intrusion occurs periodically, especially in winter and spring when the Yangtze water level is relatively low. High salt levels in water is harmful to people’s health, machinery, and crops. Shanghai’s water authorities say the reservoir built in 1993 can only hold a ten-day water supply. They’ve established a comprehensive plan to coordinate the city’s waterworks and appealed to the national government for support.

Chen Guoguang, senior engineer of Water Supply Distribution & Monitoring Center, said, “Together with the previous two salt tides, the intrusion this time is causing huge harm to our water safety. The whole process isn’t expected to end until early next month.”

2013 Disasters Affected Third of China

GLOBAL DISASTERS 2013

Human-enhanced natural disasters affected 390 million people across China 

Some 390 million people  across the country, or about 30 percent of China’s population, were affected by [human-enhanced] natural disasters, which left at least 1,181 people dead, 431 others missing [and possibly thousands injured] and resulted in direct economic losses of about 593 billion yuan (US$98 billion), according to an annual report issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) on Friday, Xinhua reported.

“The National Committee for Disaster Reduction and the MCA have issued 49 warning or emergency responses in response to various disasters, and a total of 10.1 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion) in disaster relief funds was allocated by the central authorities this year,” the report said.

The ministry has also promised to protect “615,000 graves of revolutionary martyrs and 12,000 memorial facilities for them,” the report quoted an official as saying.

-oOo-

China Formally Eases One Child Policy after 30 Years

China’s top legislature passed a resolution easing the country’s one-child policy on Saturday following a six-day meeting , Xinhua reported.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) passed a resolution allowing couples to have two children provided either parent is an only child.

NPC also adopted a proposal to abolish “re-education” through labor camps, said the state news agency.

China introduced its one-child policy in the late 1970s to curtail rapid population growth. However, the policy has reportedly become increasingly unpopular because the country’s aging population is both reducing the labor pool and burdening elderly care systems.

Disaster Toll for China in November

Disasters affected 5+ million people across China in November: Officials

[Human-enhanced] natural disasters across China left 330,000 people displaced, dozens dead, and an unknown number of others injured in November, according to official figures.

Official Toll

• Number of People Affected: More than five million
• Displaced: 330,000
• Fatalities: 24
• Injured: Not known
• No. of homes destroyed or damaged: 255,000 dwellings
• Crop area affected: 661,900 hectars (ha)
• Cropland destroyed: 67,600 ha
• Direct economic losses:  6.81 billion yuan ($1.12 billion)

Source: the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction/via Xinhua.

“Natural disasters last month were mainly earthquakes and typhoons, while droughts, floods and snowstorms also played their part. The overall damages were heavier than those from the same period last year,” the report said.

Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding

Climate related disasters in 2012 could prove costliest in history

FIRE-EARTH estimates the losses and damage from Drought 2012 and other climate-related disasters this year could exceed the combined toll of all ‘natural disasters’ that have occurred in the U.S. since 1980.

Map of U.S. counties declared as agricultural disaster areas under ‘Streamlined Disaster Designation Process,’ as of July 12, 2012

PRIMARY & CONTIGUOUS COUNTIES designated for 2012 crop disaster losses – As of 07/10/2012 – through Designation No. S3260 (Approved 07/03/2012)

Drought conditions have sparked disaster declarations in about 1,300 counties (1,016 primary, 278 contiguous) across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported.

• U.S. drought has been intensified by the driest June in history and triple-digit temperatures on 10 out of 11 days recently.

• As of last week, Moderate to Extreme drought conditions prevailed in 52.56 percent of the Midwest, and 68.39 percent of the South. Moderate to Exceptional drought conditions covered 73.87% of High Plains, 64.15% of the West and 35.46% of the Southeast.

• The declaration covers 26 states across the country: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and Hawaii.

Worsening Drought Conditions

• Missouri.  Worsening drought throughout Missouri has forced Gov. Nixon to ask the federal authorities for disaster declaration for all of the state’s 114 counties with the exception of independent city of St. Louis.
  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Wednesday a ‘Streamlined Disaster Designation Process’ a USDA rule change for Secretarial disaster designations that will allow nearly automatically a county to be declared a disaster area once it is categorized by the U.S. Drought Monitor as a severe drought for eight consecutive weeks during the growing season.

Drought Map for Missouri as of July 10, 2012. Source: Drought Monitor Archives

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Kyushu, Japan.   Flooding and landslides on the island of Kyushu have left dozens of people dead or missing.
  • At least 250,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders, with an additional 150,000 advised to abandon their homes.
  • The evacuation orders affect the entire cities of Miyama, Yame and Yanagawa.
  • The worst affected areas are Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Ōita and Saga prefectures.
  • The city of Aso in Kumamoto prefecture received 754mm  (~ 30 inches) in under 72 hours.
  • Many rivers have burst their banks in the affected areas, unleashing deadly torrents of water, mud and debris throughout the region.

Links to Recent Related Entries

• Disaster Declared in More Counties Across 11 States Posted  July 13, 2012
• U.S. Drought Expands, Intensifies Posted July 12, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in 26 States Posted July 12, 2012

• Third of U.S. Corn in Poor or V. Poor Condition Posted on July 11, 2012
• Continental US Experienced Warmest 12 Months in 117 Years Posted  on July 10, 2012
• Drought: State of Emergency Declared in Wisconsin Posted on July 10, 2012
• U.S. Corn Belt Hit by Drought, Heat Wave Posted on July 9, 2012

• Record Heatwave Kills Dozens in U.S. Posted on July 8, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012

• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012
• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in 4 States and DC as Storm Death Toll Rises Posted  on July 1, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

Gila National Forest Wildfire Largest in New Mexico History

Massive NM wildfire consumes 200,000 acres and growing

New Mexico, USA. Gila National Forest wildfire is now the largest in New Mexico history and spreading, having so far consumed about 200,000 acres, or more than 800km² [official estimate is 190,262 acres, as of May 30, 2012 @ 23:06hrs, with only 5 percent contained.]

Latest Progression Map of Whitewater Baldy Complex Wildfire, NM.   Source: Southern Area Incident Management Team

• The fire known as Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire, sparked by lightning on May 16th, is spreading in all directions through New Mexico’s ponderosa pine-covered hills and brush-covered steep canyons, spurred by winds and dry conditions (humidity is less than 5%; temperature is 73ºF).
• The fire, located 15 Miles East of Glenwood, New Mexico, has destroyed dozens of cabins and outbuildings.
• Some 1,200 fire crews are tackling the blaze.
• Last June, the Los Conchas wildfire burned about 157,000 acres  near Los Alamos National Laboratory, threatening stored nuclear material.
• See also:  State Of Disaster Declared in Michigan Counties Posted on May 26, 2012

Other Global Disasters, Significant Events

• New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Floods across NSW, Australia has forced authorities to declare disaster in 64 areas.
  • Storms, extreme rain events and record flooding  in across Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) in February and March has forced the government to declare Natural Disasters in 64 areas, with Wakool Shire being the latest addition to the list.
  • Wakool Shire has been included in the list of areas declared Natural Disasters as a result of the floods across NSW earlier this year, the NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services announced.
  • “Around 400 people across the state were rescued in the recent floods which affected around 70 per cent of NSW – an area equivalent to the size of Spain.”
  • Floods have caused widespread disruptions isolating about 31,000 people and forcing the evacuation of 28,000 others.

• See also:  Back-to-Back Disasters in Australia

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 23 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,423 Days Left

[23 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,423 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 22 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,424 Days Left

[22 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,424 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Floods Threaten Thousands of Towns in Russia

Major flooding expected across Russia

More than 4,700 towns across Russia are threatened by floods, especially in Yakutia, the Maritime, Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk Territories, and the Irkutsk region in Siberia, said a report.

“The risk zone includes some 1,900 highway sections, 378 railroad sections and 563 bridges.”

In the past two weeks tens of thousands of homes have been deluged in southern and central Russia affecting tens of thousands of residents; many people have been evacuated.

The worst-hit areas are in “the Republic of Tatarstan, and Saratov and Samara regions, as well as in parts of the Central and Volga Federal Districts, where 45 bridges, two dams and two sections of highways have been flooded.”

In the latest incident, the 803-year-old Kadom village was inundated by floowaters, according to Ryazan’s regional emergencies ministry.

“More than 500 homes have been flooded in the central Russian region of Ryazan after melting snow caused the river Moksha to overflow,” affecting  about 1,200 people.

A state of emergency was earlier declared as floodwaters continued rising in the region, reports said.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 21 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,425 Days Left

[21 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,425 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 20 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,426 Days Left

[20 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,426 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 19 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,427 Days Left

[19 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,427 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 18 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,428 Days Left

[18 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,428 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 17 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,429 Days Left

[17 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,429 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar – 16 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,430 Days Left

[16 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,430 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar: Collapse has already Begun

Disaster Calendar – 15 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,431 Days Left

[15 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,431 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar: Collapse has already Begun

 

Disaster Calendar – 14 April 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,432 Days Left

[14 April 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,432 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar: Collapse has already Begun

Disasters: Big Thompson Canyon, Colorado

Each and every disaster can be interpreted as a warning sign, but to read the signs you have to understand the language—reader KMH

The Big Thompson Canyon flood killed 145 people (6 were never found), destroyed 418 houses and damaged another 138, destroyed 152 businesses, causing at least $40 million in damages, in 120 long minutes.

It was as if nature had laid a trap

Up to 3,500 people had escaped the summer heat,  traveling to the cooler mountain air in one of Colorado’s most popular holiday destinations, some celebrating the state’s  100-year statehood anniversary. It was July 31, 1976.

“At the height of the Colorado tourist season, several thousand people escaped city heat by traveling to a popular camping area an hour northwest of Denver for hiking, fishing, camping and relaxing in the cooler mountain air. By late afternoon, an estimated 2,500-3,500 people were enjoying themselves in one of Colorado’s most scenic river valleys. They had no way of knowing that unusual atmospheric conditions and the physical make up of the Big Thompson River valley were setting the stage for disaster.”

Northern Colorado’s Big Thompson River flows from the Rocky Mountains (west) to the Great Plains (east) through a steep-walled, boulder-strewn canyon. This image was captured by the Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite on March 22, 2010.  Image and caption: NASA – Download large image (4 MB, JPEG). Click image to enlarge.

By early evening “as campers frolicked, a witch’s brew began to develop in the atmosphere”

A combination of moist air rising up the mountain slopes and the summer heat formed thunderstorms which “lifted along the Front Range and began to dump heavy rain on the region about 6 p.m. Winds found at mountain crests of 10,000 feet are usually strong enough to push thunderstorms to the east and out of the area. On July 31, 1976, however, the upper winds were extremely weak and weren’t strong enough to push the storm away from the Big Thompson Valley.”

The Big Thompson River basin is similar geologically to many river basins along the eastern side of the Continental Divide. Sheer rock forms the canyon walls, with little soil and vegetation to absorb runoff from storms. The river starts high in the Rocky Mountains near Estes Park in north-central Colorado and flows eastward through the rugged, steep-walled canyon. In some places, the canyon walls jut almost straight up. From top to bottom, the river drops vertically more than half a mile and exits the canyon into the rolling, forested plains west of Loveland. Dotted with homes, restaurants and other businesses, U.S. Highway 34 stretched the length of the canyon. Image: USGS; Caption: NOAA. Click image to enlarge.

The worst natural disaster in Colorado’s history was about to occur

The quasi stationary storm lingered on above the canyon  for more than three hours,  dumping about 30cm (1 foot) of rain into the basin. “Eight inches of rain fell in one hour-long stretch, and turned the normally placid two-foot-deep trickle into a raging torrent of water 19 feet high. Sweeping 10-foot boulders in front of it, the wall of water sped down the canyon slope. Cars, campers, and buildings in its path had no chance of survival.”

The canyon received the average year’s worth of precipitation within the first 4 hours after the rainstorm began. “The gauging station at the mouth of the canyon recorded peak flow of 883 cubic meters per second, four times higher than the previous record flood.”

The Big Thompson Canyon flood killed 145 people (6 were never found), destroyed 418 houses and damaged another 138, destroyed 152 businesses, causing at least $40 million in damages, in 120 long minutes.

Image Source: Water Resources Archive, Colorado State University. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.

Related Links:

• Big Thompson Flood of 1976
• Colorado Remembers Big Thompson Canyon Flash Flood of 1976
• 2010: Year One of Human-Enhanced Disasters

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Thought for the Day: Reoccurrences of Natural Phenomena

“Hurricanes and wildfires are as essential to nature’s ‘housekeeping’ system as blood circulation is to maintaining homeostasis.”

“Nature does what it does best to maintain a livable planet. But she can’t be expected to save you from yourselves every time. If you build your dream cabin in the crater of an active volcano, in a forest prone to wildfires, on a beach in the path of hurricanes and tsunamis … nature may ‘misunderestimate’ your wisdom!” ~ A Member of Creating A Sustainable Future

Map of the cumulative tracks of all tropical cyclones during the 1985–2005 period. Image Author: Nilfanion on 2006-08-05. Background image from Image:Whole_world_-_land_and_oceans.jpg (NASA).

Although cyclones take an enormous toll in lives and personal property, they are important factors in the precipitation system of places they impact because they bring much-needed precipitation to otherwise dry regions. Tropical cyclones also help maintain the global heat balance by moving warm, moist tropical air to the middle latitudes and polar regions. The storm surge and winds of hurricanes may be destructive to human-made structures, but they also stir up the waters of coastal estuaries, which are typically important fish breeding locales. (Source)

Related Links:

• Stop Nature! She Is Ruining Our Lifestyles
• California Fires
• Bertha Revving UP!

• Nature Must Be Punished, Look at the Mess in California!

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Stop Nature! She Is Ruining Our Lifestyles

Wildfires are an indispensable tool in Nature’s cycle-of-life toolbox. But … the fires must not be allowed to burn naturally.

If nature can’t provide us with enough rain when we need to put the fires out, or cleanse the air so that the smug doesn’t choke our kids, why should we let her go on?

Having reached the peak of Freudian Assault Against Nature Syndrome, there are only two courses of action available to humanoids:

See Main Entry: Nature Must Be Punished, Look at the Mess California!

Related Links:

• California Inferno Rages On
• The problem is they don’t understand the fires in California!

• Images of the Day: California Fires
• Lightning Safety Awareness Week: June 22-28

• A Few Extreme Events Away

• 2008: Year of the Fire
• Raging Wildfires: Mother Nature ensuring the cycle of life?

• Nature’s Defense Mechanisms

China “Frankenstein”

Nature Angry About Beijing Olympics?

China competes with Venice

Residents row boats along a flooded street in the township of Yuecheng in Deqing county, west of Guangdong Province, June 18, 2008. REUTERS/Aly Song. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Here’s what the China “Frankenstein” looks like:

Hundreds of troops, police and rescue workers are shoring up dams which might burst under torrential rain that has already flooded an area of about 24,000 square kilometers, including homes, businesses and farmlands.

The damage:

• Floods have killed about 180 people so far in Guangdong
• Another 60 people are missing
• More rain is expected in the annual flood season
• Six reservoirs are in “danger of bursting” in southern Guangxi region
• About 1.7 million people have been evacuated in nine southern provinces since the start of the flood season earlier this month.
• Floodwater has collapsed about 150,000 homes,
• About 2.4 million hectares (~ 6 million acres) of crops have been damaged or destroyed
• The mounting economic losses already exceed $4 billion

All of this comes in addition to the soaring food prices the have already plagued China, record snowstorms last winter and, of course, the Sichuan earthquake which killed about 70,000 people and left five million homeless. Serious danger of epidemics in the soaring summer temperatures looms.

Droughts, floods and other human-enhanced disasters throughout China are nothing new, of course, but their frequency and intensity this year are alarming experts.

The biggest disaster yet to strike China in 2008 may prove to be a major drought causing water shortages throughout the country later in the summer.

It’s as if nature is mad at China: Drop the Olympics, or have your annual quota of H2O now!

Related Links:

• China rushes to fix dams as 9,000 sq miles flooded
• China earthquake: Teacher left students behind as he ran to safety

• Why Didn’t China Prevent the Loss of 86,000 Lives?
• The Anguished Cries of China Quake Nurse
• Chinese paratroopers rescuing survivors or preventing plague?
• How Many More Survivors?
• Heavy Death Toll, Corruption, Criminal Incompetence
• Why Was the Girl Removed from Family?

• Chinese Leaders Incapable of Handling Quake Aftermath
• Bigger China Disaster Unfolds

• China’s grieving quake parents start to voice anger
• Beijing’s quick response to disaster won’t cover cracks of corruption
• Almost five million left homeless, China says
• Corruption blamed for rising death toll in China
• Parents’ grief turns to anger at shoddily built deathtrap schools

• Earthquake Predictions In China Are Also Political

More Links:

• China “quake lake” fears force new evacuation
• Swelling China lakes a danger 2 weeks after quake
• Big aftershock causes more misery in China

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