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China has seen flood-related casualties this year so far almost
halved from the average of the past five years, despite the wider impact
of flooding on people's lives and economy, according to the Ministry of
Emergency Management. "A vast stretch of areas has been affected by floods this year," said
Zhou Xuewen, vice-minister of both emergency management and water
resources at a news conference organized by the State Council
Information Office on Thursday. About 70.47 million people in 28 provincial regions have suffered
floods so far this year, up 17 percent from the average of the past five
years, he noted. The long-lasting floods this year have resulted in total direct
economic losses of almost 214.31 billion yuan, 27 percent more than the
past five years' average, he added. He said, however, there has been a sharp decrease in casualties as the ministry attached greater importance to evacuation. The number of people left dead or missing in floods decreased 49.8
percent from the five-year average to 271. About 4.7 million people have
been urgently evacuated so far this year, 47.3 percent more than the
average of the past five years, he noted.
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