Just days after flooding killed hundreds in Europe, more disastrous weather has arrived.
Central China was brought to its knees by torrential rain and fatal flooding that has claimed the lives of at least 33 people (eight remain missing as of this morning). The perilous weather was equal to one year’s average rain unleashed over just three days — the heaviest deluge in the region in at least 60 years.
The casualties: A dozen people perished in the city of Zhengzhou after being trapped in a subway car, where floodwaters rose higher and higher around them as rescuers cut open the roof to extract passengers. In other areas, houses and walls collapsed, abandoned cars sat submerged in water, and multiple landslides created further danger.
The monetary impact: Beyond the loss of life, the cost of the destruction is estimated at about 1.22 billion yuan (about $190 million). Water damage has affected important cultural sites in the area, including the legendary Shaolin Temple and the Longmen Grottoes, which contain Buddhist carvings dating back to the fifth century.
Meanwhile, in Europe: On Wednesday, the German government approved $472 million in emergency aid for the devastating floods that rocked the country last week. At least 171 people were killed by the severe weather in Germany, with another 31 dead in Belgium.
Germany’s Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said it was crucial to distribute the funding as soon as possible. “The pledge we want to give now is that this help with rebuilding can begin straight away…so that everything necessary can be done to restore infrastructure, damaged houses, damaged schools, hospitals, put in order anything that was destroyed there,” he said.
