The situation

According to the recent report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the heavy rainfall in July has affected nearly 58 million people in 12 provinces, including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Henan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Shaanxi. It left 273 people dead, over 200 people missing and 3 million people were forced to evacuate. In addition, the severe deluge has caused loss in nearly 4 million hectares farmland, among which, more than 600,000 hectares were totally destroyed. More than 1.2 million of houses were toppled and damaged. Approximately RMB 58 billion direct economic loss was resulted.

Hong Kong Red Cross Action

Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC) personnel have carried out on site assessment in Hunan and Anhui provinces. According to the latest assessment report, the flooding has caused wide-spread damage to vast area of farmlands, houses, as well as public facilities. Food and temporary shelters are the top priority of the affected population. Re-construction needs are pressing but detailed assessment can only be conducted after the floodwater receded.