Date June–September 2016 | Property damage US$22 billion | |
Location Southern and northern China Deaths 449+ total (350+ from flooding, 99 from tornado) Similar 1931 China floods, 2008 South China floods, 1998 China floods, 2016 Louisiana floods, 2013 North India floods | ||
In mid-June 2016, heavy rainfall began across southern China, triggering deadly floods. Over the following month, additional rain events exacerbated flooding and affected more of the country. Areas along the Yangtze River and Huai River have been particularly hard-hit. An estimated 32 million people across 26 provinces were affected and more than 300 people were killed. 280,000 hectares (700,000 acres) of cropland was destroyed, with state damage estimates of around US$5.73 billion. According to Aon Benfield, the damage estimate has reached US$22 billion. Flooding of this magnitude was last seen in the country in 1998.
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Background
During the late spring and early summer, a semi-permanent frontal boundary—called the meiyu front—emerges across eastern China, Taiwan, and Japan. This feature leads to prolonged periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms which frequently cause damage. Rainfall along this boundary tends to be particularly heavy in post-El Niño summers such as the summer of 2016.
Cause
- Year 2016 has been defined as El Nino year and the south part of China is largely influenced by this weather phenomena.
- Too many lakes in cities had been turned to land in the development process of modern city. Because of the enormous food and house lacking problem (China population) in China, the drainage system has been damaged, water logging problem of inner city is deteriorating.
- There are too many dams has been built over the Yangtze river, this reduced the amount of water which could flow through the river
Impact
Heavy rainfall in South China began on 14 June, resulting in floods that killed 14 people. Over the following week, flooding spread across seven provinces and claimed a further 22 lives. By 20 June, at least 3.7 million people had been affected by the disaster and 197,000 were displaced. At least 10,500 homes collapsed and damage reached ¥2.7 billion (US$410 million). On 23 June, a violent EF4 tornado devastated communities in Funing and Sheyang Counties within Jiangsu. At least 99 people were killed and 846 others were injured, making it the deadliest tornado to hit China in half a century.
By the end of June, much of Eastern China suffered from flooding with areas along the Yangtze River experiencing the worst effects. More than 200,000 homes were damaged and economic losses reached ¥29 billion (US$4.4 billion).
On 2 July, 23 people were killed and 7 injured when a landslide engulfed a village in Bijie, Guizhou. Photos of two pig farmers on their submerged farm in Lu'an, Anhui went viral leading to 6,000 pigs being rescued from rising waters. The outskirts of Liuzhou, Guangxi was flooded by the swollen Liu River. 35 people were killed after a landslide hit a village in the Kunlun Mountains, Xinjiang on 7 July.
Hubei
Wuhan saw 570 mm (22 in) of rainfall during the first week of July, surpassing the record that fell on the city in 1991. A red alert for heavy rainfall was issued on 2 July, the same day that eight people died after a 15-metre (49 ft) section of a 2 m (6.6 ft) tall wall collapsed on top of them. The city's subway system, the Wuhan Metro was partially submerged as was the main railway station. In Ezhou, the Mingtang Stadium was flooded, waterlogging the entire pitch within the bowl structure. At least 27 people were killed in the province and 400,000 required evacuation. Flooding encompassed 500,000 hectares (1,200,000 acres) of crops; 15,000 homes collapsed or sustained major damage, and economic losses reached ¥5.7 billion (US$850 million).
Reactions
On 6 July, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang toured Anhui, Hubei and Hunan and called on local officials to prepare for more flooding. At the same time, Chinese Paramount leader Xi Jinping dispatched the Chinese army and armed police to help with flood relief efforts. Media reports have suggested that Typhoon Nepartak may worsen the flooding when it makes landfall traveling from Taiwan.