At least 596 people have been confirmed dead and 110 million others
in China's 18 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions
affected by floods, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The ministry said 1.42 million people have been temporarily moved
out of their homes.
Briefing the media and a group of domestic charities on the
disaster situation Wednesday in Beijing, Yan Zhizhuang, head of the
Disaster and Social Relief Division of the Ministry of Civil
Affairs, said that "most of the deaths were caused by torrents of
water, mud and rocks tumbling down from hills in remote areas."
Many of the dead were unprepared farmers who tilled dry riverbanks
in areas that have been plagued with persistent drought, Yan
added.
By
Tuesday, flooding caused by the rain that has been incessantly
falling since early this month has caused 26 billion yuan (US$3.132
billion) in economic losses, according to a report released
Wednesday by the ministry.
The floods have also destroyed 590,000 houses, damaged 1.67 million
others and flooded over 7.3 million hectares of cropland.
Grain-yields will be reduced by at least 30 percent in 52 percent
of the total inundated fields, with no harvest at all in 12 percent
of the affected areas, Yan said.
Wednesday in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities such
as Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan and Guizhou,
the situation is getting worse and emergency rescue operations are
still being carried out.
"Generally speaking, this summer's flood-induced disasters have not
been as severe as the devastating deluges along the Huaihe River in
1991 and the Yangtze River in 1998," Yan said.
The summer floods in 1998 claimed more than 4,000 lives and left
over 260 billion yuan (US$31.3 billion) in damage.
The season's regional deluges have wreaked havoc in the 18 affected
provinces and municipalities, with Shaanxi, Fujian, Sichuan and
Chongqing the worst battered.
Following the disasters, Chinese central and local governments
launched intensified rescue and relief operations to mitigate the
scale of the disaster by mobilizing tens of thousands of soldiers
to help the millions of victims.
"The lives of many victims have been essentially normalized, with
school returning to normal and social order remaining stable,
thanks to the government's timely disaster relief efforts," Yan
said.
So
far, 3.28 billion yuan (US$395.1 million) has been given out by
central government ministries in emergency relief assistance.
Yan promised that "more funds to rebuild transportation and public
health facilities and schools in disaster-ravaged areas will be
allocated by the ministries in the days ahead."
The Ministry of Civil Affairs has budgeted 1.27 billion yuan
(US$153 million) in relief funds and sent more than 7,000 tents to
the worst hit areas.
In
addition to rescuing thousands of people stranded by the floods,
local authorities have also handed out 130 million yuan (US$15.6
million) to ensure supplies of clothing, food and medicine badly
needed by the homeless victims.
Meanwhile, people from all walks of life and China's major
charities, such as the Red Cross Society of China, have joined
hands to aid the victims by raising funds and collecting
donations.
More than 35 million yuan (US$4.2 million) in relief funds have
been raised in the hardest-hit provinces of Shaanxi and Fujian.
In
Fujian alone, 14 million yuan (US$1.6 million) in relief funds have
been raised and 100,000 pieces of clothing, 75,000 kilograms of
grain or seeds and 30,000 tons of chemical fertilizer donated.
(China
Daily June 27, 2002)