Hebei province has been the victim of record torrential rains for several weeks. These bad weather caused flooding in this region of northern China. At least 29 people lost their lives between August 10 and 11. Sixteen people are missing according to the state channel.
At least 33 people, including two rescue workers, died in Beijing in a severe storm and flooding late last month, authorities said this week. More than a dozen people also died in the province of Jilin, in the northeast of the country, after torrential rains last week.
On Friday, the New China News Agency reported that another flood control team had been dispatched to neighboring Liaoning Province, where “the local flood situation remains serious.” Streets in parts of Hebei province, on the edge of Beijing, remained covered in mud when AFP visited on Wednesday. Residents are struggling to salvage their belongings and clear their damaged homes.
During a visit to weather-affected people last week, Hebei Provincial Party Chief Ni Yuefeng said Hebei’s stormwater ponds should “be put to good use” to to “reduce the pressure on Beijing in terms of flood control” by serving as a “moat”.
Chinese state media praised the government’s efforts to mitigate flood damage, highlighting stories of mutual aid and selfless officials working tirelessly on rescue operations. But a week after the first flood, some villagers said they had not received adequate warnings from the authorities about the floods that were coming.
Whole parts of Zhuozhou, a hard-hit city on the outskirts of the capital in Hebei province, had been submerged. Fields, businesses and houses found themselves under two meters of water. The management of stormwater retention ponds by local authorities who had pledged to limit flooding in Beijing is also believed to have increased the burden on the province.
On Wednesday, the Chinese government said that one billion yuan (126 million euros) in compensation would be allocated to victims in flooded areas. According to New China, this fund will cover “damage to crops, animal and poultry farms, commercial forests, houses and agricultural machinery”.
According to the agency, insurance companies in Beijing have paid out at least 380 million yuan (48 million euros) for losses caused by the recent rains. Heavy rain is expected again this weekend as Tropical Storm Khanun approaches China, after hitting Japan and then the Korean Peninsula.
Meteorologists warn of the risk of flooding in mountainous regions of southwestern China, especially in Sichuan province. At least seven people have already died in a flash flood southwest of Sichuan’s capital, Chengdu, after an unexpected tidal wave swept away a number of tourists down the Longxi River.
