A typhoon’s remnants have led to devastating floods in Hebei, a province in northern China, resulting in at least 29 fatalities and economic losses in the billions.
Local media reported on Friday that emergency teams are still looking for 16 individuals unaccounted for in what has been declared as the region’s most extreme rainfall in the past 140 years.
Xinhua, the official news agency, predicts that reconstruction in the province will take approximately two years to finish. Early calculations suggest that the floods had a direct economic impact of $13.2bn (95.8 billion yuan), according to China News Service.
The floods have affected about 5% of the province’s population, or nearly 3.9 million people, preliminary assessments revealed. Additionally, more than 40,000 homes have been destroyed by the floods.
Additional homes and amenities totaling 155,500 were severely impacted, losing power and communication facilities. The province documented the destruction of crops across vast expanses of land in hundreds of thousands of hectares.
Rehabilitation protocols have been initiated involving the relocation of over 1.75 million inhabitants. The repair of damaged power cables and other facilities is ongoing. According to official Xinhua reports, the government has vowed to ensure displaced residents are resettled into their original homes or provided new accommodations before winter.
China’s state media praised the government’s actions to minimize the harm caused by the floods. Reports were dominated by expressions of mutual assistance and the tireless efforts of dedicated officials working on rescue operations.
However, one week following the initial flood surge, some villagers from Hebei expressed their discontent, stating they did not receive adequate flood warnings from authorities.
In Hebei, a region sharing borders with the capital Beijing, streets were still enveloped in mud on Friday.
Local residents frantically attempted to salvage their water-soaked belongings and restore their homes which sustained damage. Following a prolonged period of record-breaking heat, scientists have attributed such severe weather circumstances to climate change.
Tropical depression Khanun, which previously held the status of a typhoon, is predicted to bring heavy rainfall over the weekend. Xinhua reports that emergency warnings are being maintained across Northern China with an increased focus on major rivers for monitoring purposes.
However, the adverse weather conditions extend beyond North China. The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters forewarned on Friday that the southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, along with the northwestern provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, could also experience intense rainfall over the weekend.
A flash flood that occurred southwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, claimed the lives of a minimum of seven individuals earlier this week. The sudden overflow of water on the Longxi River took the life of several tourists unexpectedly.
Furthermore, Xinhua reported that in Gansu, five fatalities were experienced due to an onslaught of mountain torrents in the aftermath of a Thursday rainstorm. They were, unfortunately, swept away in the disaster.
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