Latest news with #northernChina
Malay Mail
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Death toll rises in Beijing floods as leaders say disaster planning fell short
BEIJING, July 31 — Beijing city officials admitted today they had not been prepared for heavy rains that soaked swathes of the capital, killing 44 people and leaving nine still missing. Parts of northern China endured deadly rains and floods since last week that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands. The capital's rural suburbs were hardest hit, officials said, raising the toll from the previously reported 30 announced on Tuesday. 'As of midday on July 31, some 44 people have died and nine are still missing as a result of the disasters across the whole of Beijing,' top city official Xia Linmao told a news conference. 'Between July 23 and 29, Beijing suffered extreme rainfall,' he said, adding they had caused 'significant casualties and (other) losses'. Out of those deaths, 31 took place at an 'elderly care centre' in the town of Taishitun in the northeast of the city, Xia said. Among those still missing are local officials working on search and rescue, he added. 'On behalf of the municipal party committee and the city government, I would like to express deep mourning for those who have regrettably lost their lives, and profound condolences to their relatives,' he said. Xia vowed to 'learn profound lessons' from the disaster. 'Our ability to forecast and warn of extreme weather is insufficient, and disaster prevention and mitigation plans have not been fully developed,' he said. 'There are still shortcomings in the construction of infrastructure in mountainous areas,' Xia said. Yu Weiguo, ruling Communist Party boss in the hard-hit Miyun district, also admitted there had been 'gaps' in readiness. 'Our knowledge of extreme weather was lacking. This tragic lesson has warned us that putting the people first, putting human life first, is more than a slogan,' he said. 'After reflecting on this painful experience, we must always tightly grasp the string of safety,' Yu added. Devastation Dozens of roads have been closed, villages lost electricity, and homes were submerged due to the rainstorms across Beijing and its neighbouring provinces. Speaking to AFP, villagers in hard-hit areas described being taken by surprise by rushing water that quickly subsumed their homes. 'I've never seen this before, in all my 40 years of life. Neither have those who've lived 80 or 90 years,' villager Hu Yuefang in the northern Beijing district of Huairou said. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060. — AFP
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
At Least 38 Dead and 80,000 Evacuated as Extreme Flooding Hits China: Reports
Heavy rain and floods hit eastern and northern China, causing loss of life, power outages and extreme damageNEED TO KNOW At least 38 people have reportedly died in China due to severe floods, which are causing structural damage and power outages across the east and north Amid the natural disaster, 80,000 people have been evacuated While the rains have temporarily slowed, they are expected to pick up again in the coming daysAt least 38 people have reportedly died due to severe floods sweeping across eastern and northern China. On Monday, July 28, the areas were hit with heavy rain and floods, resulting in 28 deaths in the Beijing district of Miyun and two deaths in the Yanqing district, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. An additional eight people were also confirmed to have died in Hebei province, per BBC News. The floods caused significant casualties, power outages and damage to property and roads, triggering a mass evacuation in the region. As of Tuesday, July 29, more than 80,000 people were safely evacuated to shelters outside of the flood zone in Beijing, per Xinhua. 'Heavy rain started to hit on Saturday night, flooding some homes in the town," Cui Di, deputy chief of Shicheng Township in Miyun, told the outlet. "During emergencies like this, it's tough for everyone. We do our best to make the shelter as comfortable as possible to ease their anxiety.' Chinese President Xi Jinping called for 'all-out efforts' in search and rescue operations and flood control as he told authorities to prepare for the "worst-case and extreme scenarios," BBC News and Xinhua reported. The Chinese Liberation Army and local armed police force and militias have assisted in disaster relief efforts by conducting rescue operations, repairing damaged roads and providing supplies to those in need, per Xinhua. China's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management offered 350 million yuan ($49 million) for recovery efforts. China's National Development and Reform Commission also allocated 200 million yuan ($28 millon) in relief efforts, per Xinhua. Beijing issued an alert for rainstorms on Monday evening as local flood control headquarters 'activated the highest level of its citywide flood-control emergency response mechanism,' per BBC News and Xinhua. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The peak flow in the Qingshui River running through Miyun was dramatically higher than normal, Xinhua reported as evidence of the strength of the flooding. By 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, rainfall in Taishitun Township, Miyun, began to subside and some local shops opened up again, according to the outlet. The rainstorm alert in Beijing ended at 2:30 p.m. local time, per BBC News. However, additional rain is forecasted in the coming days. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
At Least 38 Dead and 80,000 Evacuated as Extreme Flooding Hits China: Reports
Heavy rain and floods hit eastern and northern China, causing loss of life, power outages and extreme damageNEED TO KNOW At least 38 people have reportedly died in China due to severe floods, which are causing structural damage and power outages across the east and north Amid the natural disaster, 80,000 people have been evacuated While the rains have temporarily slowed, they are expected to pick up again in the coming daysAt least 38 people have reportedly died due to severe floods sweeping across eastern and northern China. On Monday, July 28, the areas were hit with heavy rain and floods, resulting in 28 deaths in the Beijing district of Miyun and two deaths in the Yanqing district, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. An additional eight people were also confirmed to have died in Hebei province, per BBC News. The floods caused significant casualties, power outages and damage to property and roads, triggering a mass evacuation in the region. As of Tuesday, July 29, more than 80,000 people were safely evacuated to shelters outside of the flood zone in Beijing, per Xinhua. 'Heavy rain started to hit on Saturday night, flooding some homes in the town," Cui Di, deputy chief of Shicheng Township in Miyun, told the outlet. "During emergencies like this, it's tough for everyone. We do our best to make the shelter as comfortable as possible to ease their anxiety.' Chinese President Xi Jinping called for 'all-out efforts' in search and rescue operations and flood control as he told authorities to prepare for the "worst-case and extreme scenarios," BBC News and Xinhua reported. The Chinese Liberation Army and local armed police force and militias have assisted in disaster relief efforts by conducting rescue operations, repairing damaged roads and providing supplies to those in need, per Xinhua. China's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management offered 350 million yuan ($49 million) for recovery efforts. China's National Development and Reform Commission also allocated 200 million yuan ($28 millon) in relief efforts, per Xinhua. Beijing issued an alert for rainstorms on Monday evening as local flood control headquarters 'activated the highest level of its citywide flood-control emergency response mechanism,' per BBC News and Xinhua. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The peak flow in the Qingshui River running through Miyun was dramatically higher than normal, Xinhua reported as evidence of the strength of the flooding. By 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, rainfall in Taishitun Township, Miyun, began to subside and some local shops opened up again, according to the outlet. The rainstorm alert in Beijing ended at 2:30 p.m. local time, per BBC News. However, additional rain is forecasted in the coming days. Read the original article on People
BBC News
3 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Beijing floods: 30 killed as China sees summer of extreme weather
At least 30 people have died in Beijing and more than 80,000 were evacuated to safety, Chinese authorities said, as heavy rains and floods ravage roads and houses in northern other people died after a landslide on Monday in Chengde city, about three hours northeast of is dealing with a summer of extreme weather. Record heatwaves hit the country's eastern region earlier this month while floods swept the country's the backdrop of the massive floods in northern China, President Xi Jinping has called for "all-out" rescue efforts and told authorities to prepare for "worst-case and extreme scenarios". "No effort should be spared to search for and rescue those missing or trapped, to transfer and resettle residents in affected areas, and to reduce casualties to the greatest extent possible," the president said on authorities have allocated 200 million yuan ($28m; £21m) for recovery efforts, including repairing transportation and other outskirts of Beijing, including the suburban districts of Miyun and Huairou, were hit hardest by the torrential floods have damaged dozens of roads and disrupted power to more than 130 villages. Videos show rescuers wading in chest-deep floodwaters to reach stranded residents, as well as helicopters and drones ferrying food and other aid to the disaster zone. Ms Yang, who works in Hebei province, told BBC Chinese that she was very worried about her family, who live in Miyun district - one of the areas hit hardest by the Sunday she had not been able to contact her parents and grandfather, who all suffer from health problems and have limited mobility. Her family had also been taking care of her pets: eight cats and three village is small and remote, with just around 10 households, she said, adding that she feared rescuers might miss it altogether. Out of desperation, she took to social media to appeal for rescue, hoping they would be found from flood-hit areas recalled how quickly the disaster unfolded. "The flood came rushing in, just like that, so fast and suddenly," Zhuang Zhelin, a shop-owner in Taishitun town, near Beijing, told the Associated Press. "In no time at all, the place was filling up."Zhuang's neighbour told the Associated Press that when the floods came he "just ran upstairs and waited for rescue"."I remember thinking, if no one came to get us, we'd be in real trouble," he is no stranger to flooding, particularly at this time of year. One of the deadliest in recent memory occurred in July 2012, when 190mm of rain drenched the city in a day, killing 79 summer, floods have wreaked havoc across swathes of people were killed and 10 people went missing in Shandong province earlier this month when Typhoon Wipha struck eastern China. Two weeks earlier, a landslide killed three people in Ya'an city, southwestern weather, which experts link to climate change, has increasingly threatened China's residents and economy - especially its trillion-dollar agriculture disasters in the first half of the year have cost China 54.11 billion yuan ($7.5bn; £5.7bn), its emergency management ministry said earlier this month. Flooding accounted for more than 90% of the losses, the ministry noted.
CNN
3 days ago
- Climate
- CNN
Dozens killed as heavy rains batter northern China
Days of heavy rain have killed at least 30 people in the mountainous northern outskirts of Beijing, state media reported Tuesday. Intense rainstorms have battered northern China in recent days, triggering flooding and landslides.
