Flooding in Chang Jiang

Examples of Flooding in the World

Flooding in Chang Jiang

1931: Starting from the beginning of summer, repeated torrential rain in Chang Jiang resulted in devastating floods. The floods ruptured most of the embankments along the rivers and lakes, inundated 659 counties in 16 provinces, and swallowed up all the cities along the Changjiang River, destroying 1.78 million homes and affecting 28.5 million people, including 145,000 killed. The direct economic losses reached 1.38 billion yuan. Even worse, epidemic diseases prevailed after the floods. The flood victims, including those killed by famine and illness, were too numerous to be buried in the year.

1954: The rainfall during June and July on the middle and lower course of the Chang Jiang doubled the average of the same period in past years, causing unprecedented flooding over 7.8 million acres of farmland, affecting 18.88 million people. The economic losses were nearly 10 billion yuan, and 30,000 people lost their lives.

2002: More than 200 people died, which had affected more than 30 million people across the country, with waters seeping towards the capital, Beijing, according to authorities. Officials said that 205 people were killed, scores were missing, while 210,000 residents evacuated in one province alone, with crops and homes destroyed after a week of rains.