In recent months, China has been hit by a series of disasters from south to north. The Chinese Communist Party’s Emergency Management Department reported that in July alone, a total of 328 people died or went missing due to disasters such as heavy rainfall, typhoons, and other calamities. However, due to the CCP’s tendency to conceal casualty data from disasters, the actual situation could be even more severe.
According to the information released on the website of the Chinese Communist Party’s Emergency Management Department, the National Committee for Disaster Reduction and Relief held consultations to verify the nationwide natural disaster situation for the month of July.
Throughout July, natural disasters in China were primarily characterized by heavy rain, floods, typhoons, and geological disasters, with occurrences of hailstorms, earthquakes, and forest fires to varying degrees.
Overall, these natural disasters affected 26.39 million people in China to varying degrees, resulting in 328 deaths or missing persons, emergency relocation and resettlement of 1.103 million people, collapse of 12,000 houses, damage to 157,000 houses, crop damage across 2,420.6 thousand hectares, and direct economic losses totaling 76.85 billion yuan.
During July, China experienced 7 severe rain episodes with an average precipitation of 132.9 millimeters, exceeding the normal level by 11% during the same period.
27 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) reported 706 rivers experiencing floods exceeding the alarm level, with 159 rivers exceeding the guaranteed level and 21 rivers witnessing the largest floods on record.
On July 5th, the Huarong County in Yueyang, Hunan experienced a breach in the dyke at the Tuanzhou embankment section of the Dongting Lake, with a breach span of 226 meters.
On July 29th, dangerous situations like breaches in embankments were reported in Hunan’s Xiangjiang tributary Juanshui and Jilin’s Huifa River tributary; additionally, there were leakage risks reported in some reservoirs in Hunan and Chongqing.
Throughout July, regions such as Southwest, Northwest, Huang-Huai, Central South, and Northeast China suffered severe cases of heavy rain-induced floods, geological disasters, and multiple occurrences of disasters like urban flooding, flash floods, debris flows, and landslides, leading to significant damages.
In early July, regions like Huarong County in Yueyang, with an inundated area of 47.6 square kilometers due to a breached dyke, and Pingjiang County where urban areas were extensively flooded due to overflow of the Miluo River.
In mid-July, extreme heavy rainfall hit parts of Henan such as Nanyang and Zhoukou, causing severe flooding in locations like Sheqi County and Tanghe County, with over 11,300 hectares of crop damage and some crops being completely destroyed due to waterlogging.
In the latter half of July, torrential rain in regions like Baoji and Shangluo in Shaanxi led to flash floods, debris flow, and other disasters, resulting in reported deaths or missing persons amounting to 95.
On July 20th, sudden mountain torrents and mudslides caused by heavy rain in Hanyuan County, Ya’an, Sichuan led to 41 deaths or missing persons.
In July, nationwide disasters including heavy rain-induced floods and geological disasters affected 22.911 million people, with 315 deaths or missing persons, emergency relocation and resettlement of 882,000 people, collapse of 12,000 houses, and direct economic losses of 67.71 billion yuan.
Meanwhile, Typhoon “Gemi” made landfall in Yilan, Taiwan, and Putian, Fujian on July 25th, affecting regions in South China, Jiangnan, and Jianghuai with strong winds and heavy rain. Official reports indicated that Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangdong provinces witnessed 1.474 million people affected by the typhoon, resulting in direct economic losses of 5.79 billion yuan.
Later, the remnants of Typhoon “Gemi” brought heavy rainfall to Hunan and other regions, leading to 1.216 million people being affected in places like Chenzhou, Hengyang, and Xiangtan, with 94 deaths or missing persons, relocation and resettlement of 96,000 people, and economic losses totaling 8.61 billion yuan.
On July 5th, severe convective weather hit central and western Shandong, with tornadoes reported in locations such as Heze, Jining, and Tai’an, resulting in severe damage to communication, electricity, and other infrastructure as well as properties. Official reports showed 6 deaths, destruction of over 9,400 houses, and direct economic losses of 490 million yuan.
Statistics indicate that in July, a total of 28 forest fires occurred across China, leading to 3 deaths, with 25 fires caused by lightning strikes, including 14 in Inner Mongolia and 11 in Heilongjiang.
Certain regions in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang faced thunderstorm wind, hail, and other severe convective weather conditions, causing damage to crops, agricultural greenhouse facilities, and an affected crop area of 95.7 thousand hectares, resulting in direct economic losses of 810 million yuan.
In July, hail disasters affected 351,000 people to varying degrees, resulting in 10 deaths, crop damage covering 126.7 thousand hectares, and direct economic losses of 1.55 billion yuan.
Earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.0 to 4.9 struck nine times in regions like Xinjiang and Guizhou in July. On July 5th and July 20th, two earthquakes of magnitude 4.8 hit Wuluntu, Xinjiang.
On July 24th, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck Liupanshui, Guizhou, affecting 38,000 people and causing minor damage to some houses, resulting in direct economic losses of over 52 million yuan.
However, due to the CCP’s habit of concealing casualty data from disasters, the actual situation could be more severe.
As August progressed, China continued to face ongoing disasters.
The northeastern provinces, Sichuan, and Hunan experienced particularly severe disasters, with floods caused by the release of water from reservoirs leading to widespread inundation.
Starting from August 6th, regions like Lvliang, Linfen, Jinzhong, Taiyuan, and Yuncheng in Shanxi encountered heavy rainfall, triggering flash flood warnings and closure of several highways.
On August 8th, a resident of Jilin revealed to the media that as of August 7th, the Fengman hydropower station had been releasing floodwaters continuously for 8 days. Other reservoirs were also in the state of continual discharge, resulting in large-scale flood disasters and massive losses for farmers.
Hunan and Sichuan witnessed the loss or disappearance of at least hundreds of individuals. A resident of Zixing, Hunan revealed that due to water release from reservoirs, several dozen villages were submerged, and many survivors reportedly starved to death due to a lack of timely rescue operations.
On the same day, Xi’an, Yulin, and Yan’an in Shaanxi continued to face heavy rainfall, leading to flash floods. In Zhidan, numerous cars were washed away by the flooding, creating a scene akin to a disaster movie, with locals expressing shock at the unfolding events.
Beijing, Hebei, and Sichuan also faced heavy rainfall, with Beijing issuing an orange alert. Early on the 9th, cities like Shijiazhuang, Baoding, and Dingzhou in Hebei experienced torrential rain, with multiple roads in Shijiazhuang being submerged.
At the same time, the southern regions had been experiencing high temperatures for several days; in particular, at least 88 individuals in Shenzhen suffered from heatstroke, requiring urgent medical attention, with two fatalities.