The image is superimposed and uses a semi-transparent layer which highlights the river in light blue. Yichang City, Hubei Province, China, July 2. In the summer of 1998, China suffered the worst floods in over 44 years. The government at all levels emphasized the need for the construction of emergency housing for the affected population before the winter, and to restore essential services as their main priorities. A particular intensification of frequency flooding on the Yangtze and in China has been observed since 1990, with an exceptional ‘density’ of floods in the 1990s (viz. The rising waters drove 500,000 people from their homes by the beginning of August. 4. 13:00 - 18:00 - Field visit to Daan City (one and a half hours bus trip) This paper aims to retrospectively examine these policy adjustments and discuss how China should adapt to newly emerging flood challenges.We show that China suffers annually from floods despite large … In the affected provinces a number of counties have been designated "poverty stricken" by national or provincial authorities. However, at the level of hamlets local officials admitted that they had little control. Crops and houses in the three most affected provinces of Hubei, Jiangxi and Hunan have been submerged by up to 6 metres of water for more than two months and the water level is not expected to recede for another two-three months. 73. Although the floodwater is receding, some very low lying areas remain waterlogged. It has hit 27 out of the 31 provincial regions in mainland China, and in some places, water levels have reached perilous heights not seen since 1998, when massive floods killed more than 3,000 people. According to Chinese government officials, the disaster was also due, in part, to rampant deforestation, causing serious soil erosion, and, in turn, silting. The Epidemic Prevention Stations will be responsible for implementing this activity. An OCHA emergency grant of US$ 50,000 and funds totalling US$ 400,000 channelled by donors through OCHA were used to purchase tents. At some point water quality and quantity will deteriorate and water borne diseases will become a problem. The UNDAC/United Nations inter-agency mission identified the following priority needs for immediate international assistance, as described in this report; 18. 14:00 - Briefing at Ministry of Civil Affairs, Route: Beijing-Hubei-Jiangxi-Hunan-Beijing They are looking for international donors to fund these items. The Secretary General in the province has the responsibility to organize the disaster relief work, but the daily responsibility belongs to the disaster relief coordinator within the Office of Civil Affairs. Supplementary food for vulnerable groups is also recommended. Population: 41 million, 167,000 sq. 95. Stay at Yangxin County for the night, 08:00-12:00 - Field visit to Yangxin County by boat Only wheat, oilseeds and potatoes were spared by the floods as they are typically planted in the winter season. The disaster area has a temperate climate with severe winters. This is now urgently needed and must be provided within the next six weeks. Unnatural death during the floods was caused by drowning, injuries, and electrification. 48. 27. The overall impact of these combined losses has been the loss of staple and cash crops, draught power and valuable livestock and poultry. Gilbert Greenall, UNDAC 44. (If required, telecommunications, for the effective delivery of international assistance); 4. assists in the joint assessment of the emergency situation and international relief requirements stemming from it, with a particular view to the consistency of assessment information and relief programmes across the sectors involved and the identification of priority areas in need of in-depth problem evaluation; 5. reports to the Coordinator and informs him/her of developments in the emergency situation and other information which might be included in field and OCHA situation reports distributed to disaster relief organizations and the international community; 6. assists in the preparation of a report on the assessed needs for immediate international assistance under the leadership of the Coordinator; in this connection, the Team will focus primarily on relief needs, but also indicate requirements in the transition from relief phase to rehabilitation phase, to the extent possible; 7. assists in the preparation of the United Nations inter-agency appeal issued by the UNDMT maintains links with and reports on the progress of its mission to OCHA headquarters throughout the duration of its mission. 13:00-17:00 - Briefing by Hunan provincial authority The mission also visited flooded urban areas, with several large factories submerged in the Hubei province. 105. The UN mission witnessed the efficient way in which the Government had provided emergency relief. The 1998 floods hurt 14% of China's entire crop production at the time. Open job opportunities in the humanitarian field. Many villages were flooded when crops growing a few hundred meters away on slightly higher ground (2-3m) were unaffected. The Chinese government has consistently showed that there is an urgent need to establish essential services for the affected population before the onset of winter. The Chinese government attributed the 1998 floods to uncharacteristically heavy rains, as well as rampant deforestation and high population density along the Yangtze and its tributaries. Stay at Daan City for the night, 08:00 - 12:00 - Field visit to Daan County People living in temporary shelters, are exposed to rodents and insects which may become a major health threat. Afternoon - Travel to Zhenlai County (about three hours by bus) FIELD REPORT FROM THE YANGTZE RIVER BASIN IN THE SOUTH (HUBEI, JIANGXI AND HUNAN) SEPTEMBER 8 - 16, 1998. 28. 90. 22. The extensive flooding in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces has displaced more than one million people and in one place flooded 8000 sq. OCHA coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises. 13:00-18:00 - Travel by bus to Pai Zhou and field visit to Pai Zhou (by boat, 70km) Terje Skavdal, UNDAC 31. In the worst affected county in each province more than 60% of the area was covered by water. July marks the harvest time for the first of the two crops of rice grown in the area during the summer season. It is these counties and the designated "poverty stricken" counties that should be given priority. In many of the camps water is collected from the river, treated with bleach and boiled. Now that the floodwater is receding by 10cm a day, the fight against the floodwater has been replaced by a struggle to protect the vulnerable population against the severe winter weather. The flat low lying area of north-east China is drained by the Nenjiang and Songhua rivers and their tributaries but rainfall is normally low and drought that affected the region in 1997 is common. 13:00-18:00 - Field visit there by boat, travel to Changde by bus (90km) Many of the homeless are either with relatives or staying in collective centres. The deluge was not unexpected. Medicines, in particular antibiotics, are undoubtedly needed on an urgent basis. 79. In August, the large volume of water carried by the Yangtze from mountains in adjacent provinces aggravated the floods. It put the number of dead at three and evacuations at more than 15,000. 65. The timing of the flooding in southern China, therefore, could not have been worse from an agricultural standpoint. China’s worst floods in recent decades came in 1998 during an El Nino weather effect, killing more than 4,000 people, mostly around the Yangtze. China: Flooding death toll tops 2,000 - August 6, 1998 Hundreds killed as flood dikes collapse in China - August 4, 1998 Death toll rises from South Korean floods - August 3, 1998 3. focuses on on-site and cross-sectoral support of emergency information and response coordination, in accordance with established UNDAC field coordination guidelines. 54. No malnutrition was found in the areas that were observed by the UN mission. 24 million people affected and a total of 956,000 people were relocated to temporary camps on dykes two months ago. 62. It will take another month for the flood water to recede. ReliefWeb Labs projects explore new and emerging opportunities to improve information delivery to humanitarians. The UNDAC/United Nations inter-agency mission recommends that in-country monitoring and coordination of international emergency assistance be strengthened, in order to cope with the expected increase in the volume of donations. Donors are requested to assist the provincial governments with the construction of emergency housing and provision of building materials for house repairs. There were two types of destruction of the standing crops. 93. Although no major towns or cities were seriously affected, roads, railways, bridges, electricity/ telephone cables, schools and health centres were all badly damaged. The Government has no known plans to provide food on a free basis except for those covered under the government relief plan. Stay at Zhenlai County for the night, 08:00 - 12:00 - Field visit to Zhenlai County In the areas visited no cases of cholera, typhoid, measles, meningitis, tetanus, plague, and schistosomiasis have been diagnosed. The Chinese Red Cross, The All China Women's Federation and smaller NGO's can play a role in the distribution of basic relief supplies during this final phase of the emergency. The mission was accompanied by two officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. RW COVID-19 page: Find latest updates on global humanitarian responses. Unusually heavy rains have wreaked havoc in central and southwestern China, leaving hundreds dead and disrupting the economy’s post-pandemic recovery. In July heavy rains resulted in extensive water logging, behind embankments created to prevent flooding from the numerous rivers in the province. The members of the UNDAC/United Nations inter-agency mission to the south of China were; Fabrizio Gentiloni, UNDAC team leader, OCHA Geneva, Eva Johansson, UNDAC, Edward Hoekstra, WHO China, Xie Hong Yi, WFP China, Guo Rui Xiang, UNDP China, Kevin Kamp, FAO China. The long stay on dykes increases the risk of serious disease outbreaks. The next rice season will begin in April with the first harvest expected in mid July 1999. Food assistance from the international community is recommended. The Yangtze River, the longest … Most of the flooded lands visited by the mission were rural and are particularly vulnerable to seasonal flooding. Fund-raising campaigns were organized, and relief supplies resulting from them were distributed to the flood victims. Tents have been shown to be very useful for those families repairing their houses. 25. 56. The floods caused severe damage to critical facilities such as health clinics, schools, water supply, and other infrastructure such as roads, bridges and irrigation systems as well as industrial facilities. At the local level there are townships, administrative villages and hamlets. The mission noted a lack of vehicles for the transport of temperature-sensitive medicines and vaccines (cold chain) and the medical teams. In the worst circumstances where dams had burst or flash flooding had occurred, entire houses and their contents have been washed away. A mega-flood in 1998 caused tremendous losses in China and triggered major policy adjustments in flood-risk management. This is a serious problem and a major task for the provincial governments to provide adequate shelter, winter clothes, quilts, and fuel for cooking and heating. The mission recommends that schools, especially primary schools, are repaired and re-equipped. It was noted that China's advanced prevention policy, based on timely predictions/forecasting and early warning, greatly contributed to the outcome of the struggle against the floods. Is China staring at a … There will now be no harvest until August 1999. Indeed, after a strong El Niño in 1998, similar floods struck the Yangtze River Basin, causing $44 billion in damage and 3,656 deaths. Their massive mobilization reduced sufferings and the loss of human lives. 12:00-18:00 - Travel to Changsha by bus (300km) Five million people have been made homeless in these three provinces. 67. km. These are particularly vulnerable to flood damage. Published. Coal for heating and cooking The UNDAC/United Nations inter-agency mission recommends that appropriate institutions of the United Nations system should undertake a comprehensive assessment of rehabilitation and reconstruction needs when the water recedes. km to a depth of 2 metres. medicines, in particular antibiotics and oral re-hydration salts, initial rehabilitation of health centres and schools. Yangtze River floods, floods of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) in central and eastern China that have occurred periodically and often have caused considerable destruction of property and loss of life. Cement, bricks, and timber are required for this. First, crops close to mountain areas were subjected to flash flooding which destroyed any field that was in the path of the water rushing from the adjacent hills which were reported to have received more than one metre of rainfall within a couple of days. The mission crossed the Boyang Lake and visited numerous flooded areas by boat (sometimes the distance was more than five hours). Hundreds of thousands of hectares of land have been reclaimed from lakes and rivers in this manner. Disaster features: breaking of embankments due to heavy rainfall on rivers flowing to Lake Boyang (the largest lake in China) already at the end of June, breaking of dykes on Lake Boyang, dykes burst on tributaries of the Yangtze as well, most affected area Boyang county. 32. With the flood waters now receding, the fight against the floods is almost over. The dark and light shades of blue represent the conditional changes; Superimposed image - Normal/Flooded situation, (ERS-1) 09 June 1993 – (ERS-2) 01 August 1998, Hatoyama (Japan) 1993, Ulan Bator (Mongolia) 1998. The oil field at Daqing was also affected with 1,300 of the 10,000 wells flooded. United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) 66. There has been a consistent request for the following items: 1. Depending on the local severity and nature of the impact of the floods, housing has been damaged in a number of ways. The earliest potential cash crop, vegetables, could be harvested in January/February next year, followed by wheat and rape seed in May. It assists in meeting international needs for early and qualified information on the situation and, when necessary, in the coordination of international relief at the site of the emergency. 1951 Manchuria flood China: 1951 3,838 1998 Eastern India, Bangladesh monsoon rain India, Bangladesh: 1998 3,814 1989 Sichuan flood China: 1989 3,800 1978 Northern India monsoon rain India: 1978 3,656 1998 Yangtze river flood China: 1998 3,500 1948 Fuzhou flood China: 1948 3,189+ 2010 China floods, landslides China… In the same province, the mission visited an area in which dykes on a river branch of the Yangtze had been deliberately destroyed by explosives, thereby flooding rural land but preserving urban areas and infrastructure. There is a clear need to improve the living conditions of the flood victims, especially the most vulnerable homeless victims living on the unprotected dykes with insufficient shelter. 20. 77. Subsection China. Despite the scale of the disaster, the planning and implementation of the emergency programme by provincial government has been hugely impressive. Once the emergency is over, the government has a plan to strengthen the national dyke system. These images were acquired during the floods in China at the station of Ulan Bator (Mongolia). The contribution by the international donors is at best going to be modest and must be focused on the very severely affected counties and those that have been designated by national or provincial government as poverty stricken. Disaster features: sudden breaking of dykes in this area where most of the land was reclaimed from the Dongting lake (in essence, most of the communities are "islands" surrounded by dykes), 108 out of a total of 122 counties affected of which Anxiang county most affected (310,000 people on dykes in this county alone). Some of the affected areas visited by the mission had been hit by disasters earlier this year (snow storms, typhoons) compounding the effects of the floods. Time: 9 - 16 September The provincial government would like to see essential services restored as soon as possible. As autumn and winter approach, the flood victims on the dykes are totally exposed to the wind, rain and the cold weather. The 1998 China floods (1998年中国洪水) lasted from middle of June to the beginning of September 1998 in China at the Yangtze River as well as the Nen River, Songhua River and the Pearl River. The United Nations appeal should contain an allocation for immediate rehabilitation of schools, so that pupils can move out from tents on the dykes as it gets colder in winter. Edward Hoekstra, WHO China In nine days, the mission travelled over 1,300 km by bus, at times on diversion roads and in poor conditions due to the flooding. Local government control over the delivery of relief supplies below the level of the administrative village was less certain. Because of the scale of the flood disaster there was a need to identify the most vulnerable segments of the affected population and at the same time to distinguish between the overall need for development and the needs resulting from the flood. There is not thought to be a danger of an epidemic. Micronutrient deficiencies also need to be assessed and addressed as part of this programme. Beyond this, the initiative is very much in hands of individual flood victims. Specific data is needed from sentinel sites, and surveys on nutrition, food quality, vectors and selected morbidity indicators. On the basis of data provided by the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Beijing, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva issued, from early June to September 19, nine situation reports to inform the international community and to mobilize international assistance. Farmers need considerable assistance to regain their capacity to farm. There is a need to minimize adverse health effects on flood victims by: 1) ensuring safe drinking water to the flood victims on the dykes to prevent waterborne diseases; 2) treating infectious diseases among flood victims, which untreated may become life threatening; 3) immediately restoring the routine childhood immunization activities in the flood areas; 4) immediately assessing and improving the cold chain; 5) eliminating rodents and insects to prevent outbreak of vector-borne diseases such as plague, haemorrhagic fever and malaria; and 6) providing transport to ensure a functional cold chain for vaccines and medicines and transport of medical teams. 11. Revised Terms of Reference. Despite the high measles coverage among children in China, measles outbreaks can occur with crowding and the lapse in routine childhood vaccination. When on mission in China, September 1998, the UNDAC Team: 1. assists and works under the Authority of the United Nations Resident coordinator; 2. participates in the work of the United Nations Disaster management Team (DMT) in country, in support of the relief efforts of the country affected as well as those of the international humanitarian community; UNDMT members will accompany in the field visits (Northeast and South). However, a structure for the procurement and contracting of supplies should be established by the UN Resident Coordinator or the relevant UN agency. United Nations assessment team found evidence of this in some of the remote hamlets. The death toll exceeds … All basic commodities are available in China, and there is no need for the import of any relief supplies. In the north, the severe winter weather (down to -30C) is only six weeks away and the fight against the flood water has been replaced by a struggle to protect over one million homeless against the cold. In June and July the provinces in the Yangtze river basin were hit by storms and torrential rains. 88. China Floods Call Into Question Sustainability Of Massive Three Gorges Dam. The following are terms of reference for the UNDAC mission to China, 8 - 24 September 1998. Southern China is agriculturally one of the richest areas of China and responsible for the vast majority of the country's rice production: the staple food of most Chinese. Most of the displaced people were found in small groups. Despite the large number of displaced people, the majority of the people are widely dispersed. In other areas houses have been submerged and some contents salvaged. There was an extensive loss of crops, particularly rice, maize and cotton. Due to the differences in disaster context, disaster phase, as well as the complexity of the two assessments, the mission report contains two separate field reports. With the crops destroyed, this is no longer available. 13:00-18:00 - Travel by bus to Yangxin and field visit to Yangxin (100km) 30. Ma Huiyan, UNDP, China We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all. 85. Curated pages dedicated to humanitarian themes and specific humanitarian crises. In some cases whole villages have been swept away. 91. Our gratitude also goes to all agency participants in the mission for their active and effective cooperation. Figs. In the summer of 1998, China suffered the worst floods in over 44 years. 43. Liu Xuerong, WFP, China Although, maize and sorghum are the main crops in the region, livestock and fish farms are important not only to the rural economy but in ensuring that the population have a balanced diet. Video, 00:00:34 Drone video of China floods. Drone video of China floods. 13:00 18:00 - Travel to Tailai County of Heilongjiang Province In fact the unaffected areas will have a very good harvest. 106. Population: 64.3 million, 212,000 sq. 75. The UNDAC/United Nations Inter-Agency mission. The Chinese Government has experience in dealing with floods, but not on this scale and for such an extended period. During the first week of August new rains in central Hubei and Hunan provinces pushed water levels of the Yangtze to a third peak and cut power supplies to Hubei's provincial capital Wuhan where water levels have risen to 1.25 meters above danger level. Bank loans were being made available to farmers and resources were being made available to the county level government offices for providing local assistance for helping farmers to re-establish their farming activities. Find help on how to use the site, read terms and conditions, view the FAQs and API documentation. Water pumps are needed to drain these areas. B. 13. Participants: Terje Skavdal (UNDAC), Gilbert Greenall (UNDAC), Ma Huiyun (UNDP China), Han Yujiao (MCA), Chen Yonggan (MCA interpreter), 08:10 - Flight 1609 to Changchun In the longer term perspective, an in-depth assessment mission needs to be carried out when the water recedes in order to assess the damage and identify medium-term needs to facilitate the recovery of the agricultural activities in the region. Another 34 people were missing. 84. For over two months, 2,9 million homeless people have lived in insufficient shelters on narrow dykes along the Yangtze river, its tributaries and neighbouring lakes. Multiple studies also suggest that global warming is likely increasing the intensity of the monsoon in … Unless this water is removed before the end of October it will freeze and there is a risk that planting will be delayed. Epidemiological surveillance is extremely important in any disaster situation, but especially where the expected morbidity is very difficult to predict. Terje Skavdal, UNDAC 2. Population: 59 million, 187,000 sq. km, capital Wuhan. The Government had provided shelter material, food (mainly rice), medicines and had also established temporary schools mainly in tents, that had started on time on September 1st. Others were saved only by the construction of dykes around them. The team did not visit this place (Jingjiang) for logistics reasons. A large proportion of the affected rural population has lost everything; houses, winter clothes, animals, crops and even the irrigation systems on which they depend in normal years. 87. 107. 09:30 - Joint briefing at UNDP (UNDMT and UNDP) 64. 55. However in the coming months, it is essential that a reliable and effective monitoring system be set up. by the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC)/, Find latest updates on global humanitarian responses, II. The standard of water and sanitation for the displaced were often superior to those in unaffected villages. The government stated that each person would get 0.5 kg rice in the future, but that the food would not be free of charge. 33. The responsibility for the organization of the disaster relief work at national level belongs to the Department of Disaster and Social Relief within the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The coming colder season will however pose a problem since the tents will provide no warmth. 49. FAO should consider dispatching a team of experts to China to assess the medium-term needs of farmers. 38. Measles is likely to be a problem despite the reported high vaccine coverage levels. About 70 % of the future food need has to be borrowed, 10% is projected to be donated and the remaining 20% will come from free relief food, provided only for the most vulnerable people. b. coal for heating/cooking in the two provinces which have a population of 63 million. There is no overall shortage of food in the north-east. 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