OCHA Situation Report No. 1 China - Floods in Gansu Province 9 June 2000
Disaster Situation 1. Throughout the evening of 31 May 2000 heavy, storm-induced rain fell on Gansu province in northern China. The storm prevailed from 7.00 p.m. until 10.00 p.m. local time, drenching the townships of Awu, Jingmu and Hadapu and their surroundings in the Longnan district of Dangchang County, Gansu. After fifty minutes of downpour rainfall measured 110 mm in Awu township. That night the River Ming flowed at a record 677 cubic metres per second, the highest flow measurement for 150 years. 2. The media report that this storm is one in a series of natural disasters occurring between 31 May and 6 June 2000. According to media sources, flashfloods caused mudslides and landslides which killed 60 people in Sichuan province on 5 June, and the following day Guizhou province to the south of Gansu and Sichuan suffered a mudslide caused by torrential rain and responsible for the death of 11 more people. Details given below refer to the storm of 31 May, and further information concerning the events of the following week will be conveyed as soon as official statistics are available. Casualties 3. According to the official report issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, 34 people were killed in the 31 May floods in Gansu province. Another 183 people were injured in the storm. Affected Population 4. The floods affected 154,000 people in 201 villages. Extent of Destruction 5. Preliminary Government statistics relate that 2,148 houses collapsed as a result of the floods in Gansu province, while 3,641 houses were damaged. In all, 13,000 hectares of crops were affected by the storm; of these, 3,000 hectares were totally destroyed and 10,000 hectares were severely damaged. The electrical power supply in Dangchang township was interrupted for eleven hours. This was the direct result of the inundation of three hydropower stations. Roads, bridges, dams and water supply systems in the County all suffered varying degrees of damage. 6. Direct economic losses have been estimated at CNY 0.17 billion (USD 20 million). Assessment/Needs 7. The situation in the affected district of Longnan is now stable. There has been no request for international assistance, and the inhabitants themselves are continuing with the clean-up operation, with repairs to damaged facilities and a return to normal living conditions. Response 8. Local government leaders responded immediately to the disaster, as did representatives from the Ministry of Civil Affairs for Gansu province. Where necessary, people were quickly evacuated from the flood-stricken area. On 2 June the provincial government sent a relief team to the area, under the leadership of the Director General of the provincial Civil Affairs Department. The team assisted the local people in dealing with the emergency. Tents were provided for evacuees and were pitched outside the danger zone. Coordination 9. OCHA is in close contact with the UN Resident Coordinator in Beijing and will revert with further information if the situation warrants it. 10. This situation report, together with further information on ongoing emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34 Fax: +41-22-917 00 23 In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10 Desk Officers: Ms. S. Metzner-Strack / Mr. R. Mueller / Mr. S. Matsuka direct Tel. +41-22-917 21 44 / 31 31 / 40 34 Press contact: Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53 distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -