Floods and landslides caused by torrential rains have left at
least 143 people dead and more than 50 others missing in southwest
China's Sichuan
Province and Chongqing
Municipality.
The Sichuan provincial disaster relief office confirmed 89
people dead and 41 missing by 6:30 PM Tuesday. In Kaixian County
alone, the hardest-hit area under Chongqing's administration, the
death toll jumped to 54, with 16 missing and more than 550
injured.
Landslides and flash floods sweeping through mountain valleys
caused most of the deaths. Accurate casualty information has been
delayed because communication facilities were severely damaged in
the mountainous areas, according to local flood control
offices.
The five-day-long downpour has affected 11.3 million local
residents and flooded 412,000 hectares of cropland. The direct
economic losses are estimated to exceed 3.9 billion yuan (US$470.0
million).
"This is the most severe natural disaster to strike the country
except for Typhoon Rananim, which killed at least 164 in eastern
Zhejiang Province in mid-August," said Zhang Zhitong, deputy
director of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief
Headquarters.
Continued bad weather over the past two days has created
challenges for rescue teams, especially in the mountainous areas,
where numerous landslides have destroyed many roads. In Dazhou
City, Sichuan, more than 6,000 people remained stranded in their
flood-besieged houses.
Facing a catastrophe of "once in a century" proportions, the
governments of Sichuan and Chongqing have been working to minimize
losses, promising to provide all the victims with adequate food,
drink and shelter.
The central government allocated 40 million yuan (US$4.8
million) in emergency funds to Chongqing and Sichuan on Monday. The
Chongqing municipal government also raised 12 million yuan (US$1.5
million) to provide shelter for local residents and restore
transportation and telecommunication.
On Tuesday afternoon, a task force comprising officials from the
State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and ministries
of civil affairs, finance and land and resources arrived in Dazhou
to oversee rescue and relief operations.
Dazhou has raised 15 million yuan (US$1.8 million) so far to
rebuild homes, but one local government official said, "We still
need more financial support."
More than 5,000 armed police have participated in rescue
operations. Zhang Jun, a 19-year-old armed police officer, drowned
while helping villagers evacuate in Chongqing.
In the county seat of Kaixian, floodwaters have almost receded
and more than 200 medical workers started a three-day disinfection
of the flooded areas on Tuesday. The local health department has
also set up 18 stations across the county to monitor possible
outbreaks of epidemic diseases.
The county also established six medical service stations to
provide free treatment to local residents.
After three days of work, electricity had been restored to
nearly all the flood-stricken areas in Kaixian. The water supply is
expected to be fully restored on Wednesday.
Local residents are busy cleaning their houses and the trash
left in the streets. Some stores and produce markets have reopened.
Public service announcement vehicles are circling the county,
warning residents to take safety precautions when using home
appliances.
Local insurance companies have started to pay compensation for
losses. "Private business operators who have not bought property
insurance will be entitled to preferential policies, including tax
reduction or exemption," said Cheng Yuanhui, the acting chief of
Kaixian County.
According to the local meteorological administration, moderate
rain will continue in most areas around Chongqing, and with
torrential rain hitting some sectors.
"We must not be caught off guard," said Wang Hongju, mayor of
Chongqing Municipality.
(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2004)
