In the first three quarters of this year, the number of people affected by natural disasters in China fell by 45 percent from the average of the same period over the past five years, the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) said on Thursday.
Floods, geological disasters, earthquakes, typhoons, gales and hailstorms, and droughts were the main natural disasters during the first three quarters, Shen Zhanli, spokesperson for the MEM told a regular press conference.
Incidents caused by low-temperatures, heavy snow, forest fires, sandstorms, and marine disasters also occurred to varying degrees, Shen added.
Natural disasters affected a total of 55.12 million people to varying degrees, resulting in 742 deaths and missing persons, and the emergency relocation of 3.01 million people, according to the spokesperson.
About 71,400 houses collapsed, 636,000 houses were damaged, 5.3019 million hectares of crops were affected, and direct economic losses reached 217.65 billion yuan ($30.47 billion).
From late July to mid-August, the number of deaths and missing persons due to disasters accounted for 41 percent of the total in the first three quarters, while direct economic losses accounted for 48 percent, according to the ministry.
During the main flood season, rainfall was extremely intense, with 36 regional heavy-rain events occurring across the country, said the spokesperson. Cities in North China saw a significantly longer rainy season than usual, experiencing more severe impacts.
In August, the Ministry of Finance and the MEM allocated 430 million yuan in central natural disaster relief funds, with a priority on supporting Beijing, North China’s Hebei Province, and South China’s Guangdong Province in conducting emergency rescue and providing assistance to affected residents, the MEM said on its official website.
Shen noted that the first three quarters also saw the high number of scorching days. The national average temperature in July was the highest for the same period since 1961, and the high temperatures combined with low rainfall in August adversely affected autumn grain crops in Central China’s Hubei Province, East China’s Jiangxi Province, and other regions.
The number of typhoons forming and making landfall in the first three quarters of this year was above average, resulting in relatively severe impacts in Guangdong, where 3.426 million people were affected to varying degrees, Shen said.
Following the heavy rainfall disaster caused by the Typhoon Ragasa, the 18th typhoon of the year, in Guangdong Province on September 24, relevant national authorities deployed 60,000 central relief supplies, including tents, folding beds, and quilts to the affected areas, The Paper reported.
Additionally, 437 central flood control supplies such as assault boats, rubber boats, and outboard motors were dispatched, along with 300,000 woven bags and 400,000 square meters of laminated woven fabric, said the report.
Shen also reported on workplace safety, saying that 13,442 accidents occurred nationwide in the first three quarters, killing 12,804 people — down 20.8 percent and 16.2 percent, respectively.
Six major accidents occurred, resulting in 96 deaths, with no especially serious accidents reported. The number of major and extraordinarily serious accidents and the associated death toll decreased by 14.3 percent and 20.7 percent year-on-year, respectively, the spokesperson said.
Global Times
