Action by Churches Together (ACT)
Alert - China - 02/2002
Heavy rains, flooding and landslides hit vast areas of China
Geneva, 13 June 2002


Heavy rains over 6 * 10 June 2002 are causing some of the worst flooding
ever experienced in central and western China. According to the news
releases the death toll is still rising, many people are missing, crops
are destroyed and vast areas of western China are under water.

ACT member Amity Foundation has provided the ACT Co-ordinating office with
the following information:

Sichuan Province - Suining Prefecture * the heavy rainstorms (reaching 450
millimeters in 2 days in the worst hit areas) caused water levels in the
rivers to rise rapidly resulting in flooding and serious land/mud slides.
Preliminary statistics reveal 10 persons killed, 2 missing and 474 people
injured; 1.8 million people affected and about 600 kilometers of
county/township roads destroyed.  Economic loss in Sichuan Province is
estimated to be over USD 242 million.

Guizhou Province - Meitan County is the worst hit county in this province
with a rainfall of 177 millimeters in one day. The whole city of Meitan
was suddenly flooded due to the Meijian River (the longest river that runs
through the county) breaking its embankment.  In some places of the city,
the water is 4 meters deep.  Traffic, communication, power and water
supplies were cut off.  230,000 people were affected and 1,000 people
evacuated. The direct economic loss is about USD14.5 million.

Shaanxi Province - The violent rainstorms affected 98 counties, causing
extensive flooding and landslides. In Fuping County on 8 June alone, the
rainfall reached 489.2 millimeters. Traffic, communications and power
supplies were cut off.  The 150-meter-long Bahe Railway Bridge on the
Longhai Railway, the major east-west rail artery of the country was
destroyed.

Ninxia Hui Autonomous Region - Yinchuan and Wuzhong prefectures are the
worst hit with severe flooding and mud slides.  According to statistics 1
person is missing; 17,000 people were evacuated; 1.3 million people
affected with 0.8 million people seriously affected.


Immediate needs in the severely affected areas

Relief items such as instant food, rice, salt, clothing, quilts, tents,
plastic sheeting, water purifying tablets, medicines and kerosene are
urgently needed. Emergency repair of destroyed infrastructure,
communication and power supplies have to be undertaken on a priority basis
as they are vital to the rescue and assistance support.


Relief Work by Local Governments

The local governments are engaged in the most urgent relief aspects:
rescuing and resettling of people, emergency repair of communication and
power supply facilities, and emergency repair of roads and bridges vital
to emergency assistance and traffic. Distribution of water, food rice and
also some clothing and quilts to the worst affected victims is also in
progress.

"In Shaanxi Province, an allocation of about USD 908,000 has been made for
emergency assistance.  4,200 quilts and 700 tents have been sent to the
two most seriously affected counties of Kangshi and Luoshang. Clothing and
quilts worth about USD60,500 were also urgently ordered and manufactured
for the two counties. Also four tons of instant food, medicine and 100
tents were transported to the isolated Fuping County by helicopters.


ACT response

The Amity Foundation is closely following the situation and in contact
with local partner churches and the Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau in the
affected provinces.  Amity has transferred 50,000 yuan (about USD 6,053)
from its revolving fund to its partner church in Shaanxi Province for
emergency purchase of instant noodles for severely affected victims in the
south of the province. Amity is also making an emergency order for food
rice worth 200,000 yuan (about USD24,213) based on a pledge received from
ACT member the Hong Kong Christian Council (HKCC).

Amity is planning to provide assistance to Ninxia province - the worst
affected province - concentrating its efforts on about 4,000 evacuated and
severely affected families. Tentative assistance plans are:

Crisis phase:  Provision of two quilts to each of the 4,000 families;
Provision of 15 kilos of food rice per month to each of the about 16,000
individuals (based on 4 persons per family) in the 4,000 families for 2
months

Post crisis phase:  to help repair unsafe houses that are likely to
collapse for about 600 families from among the 4,000 families;  to help
rebuild houses for about 160 homeless families


The budget estimation is as follows:

Description
Type of Unit
No of Units
Unit Cost Yuan
Budget Yuan
Budget US$

Quilts
Quilt
8,000
80
640,000
77,482

Food Rice
Kilo
480,000
2
960,000
116,222

House Repairs
House
600
1,000
600,000
72,639

House Reconstr.
House
160
4,000
640,000
77,482





2,840,000
343,825


An ACT appeal is foreseen as soon as the Amity Foundation has finalised
its assessment.

Thank you for your attention.

For further information please contact:

ACT Director, Thor-Arne Prois (phone ++41 22 791 6032 or mobile phone ++
41 79 203 6055)
or
ACT Appeals Officer, Mieke Weeda (phone ++41 22 791 6035 or mobile phone
++ 79 285 2916


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Action by Churches Together (ACT) is a worldwide alliance of churches and
their related agencies, meeting human need through co-ordinated emergency
response.  The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of
Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
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   Ecumenical Centre                          Phone: ++41-22-791.60.33
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