China: Tropical Storm Bilis - Jul 2006

This report covers the period of 01/01/06 to 31/12/07 of a two-year planning and appeal process.

In brief

Programmes summary: The East Asia regional office has supported country delegations and national societies in the management of their programmes, coordination and cooperation amongst partners, the incorporation of humanitarian values, and capacity building at all levels.

Through funding from the appeals, the national societies of the East Asia region have been able to strengthen their current programmes in disaster management and health and care, and have thereby been …

This report covers the period of 01/01/06 to 31/12/07 of a two-year planning and appeal process.

In brief

Programmes summary: Through support of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent's (The Federation) appeal, the programmes set forth by the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) in disaster management, health and organizational development are in line with the Global Agenda Goals and contribute towards the Millennium Development Goals.

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity.

BEIJING, Oct9, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) has raised 4.2 billion yuan in relief funds in the past 20 years to help 160 million people affected by natural disasters, a senior RCSC official said on Tuesday.

RCSC has also established a nationwide disaster relief network which consists of six regional and 13 provincial-level relief centers in places frequently hit by national disasters, RCSC deputy president Su Juxiang said.

"The relief network greatly enhances RCSC's effectiveness to respond to nature disasters," Su said.

BEIJING, May 23 (Reuters) - Natural disasters including typhoons, floods and droughts killed 3,186 people in China in 2006, the death toll rising 28.7 percent on the previous year, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

Natural disasters damaged some 41 million hectares (101 million acres) of farmland and destroyed more than 1.9 million houses.

This report covers the period of 1 January to 31 December 2006 of a two-year planning and appeal process.

In a world of global challenges, continued poverty, inequity, and increasing vulnerability to disasters and disease, the International Federation with its global network, works to accomplish its Global Agenda, partnering with local community and civil society to prevent and alleviate human suffering from disasters, diseases and public health emergencies.

In brief

Programme Summary:

The East Asia regional delegation has supported country delegations and national societies in …

This report covers the period of 1 January to 31 December 2006 of a two-year planning and appeal process.

In a world of global challenges, continued poverty, inequity, and increasing vulnerability to disasters and disease, the International Federation with its global network, works to accomplish its Global Agenda, partnering with local community and civil society to prevent and alleviate human suffering from disasters, diseases and public health emergencies.

In brief

Programme Summary:

2006 brought the most serious natural disasters to hit China since 1998.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) released $19.88 million from the Disaster Relief Fund to provide immediate relief to people in distress outside Hong Kong in the year ending March 31, 2007.

In response to appeals made by governments and international relief organisations, grants were disbursed for early relief of victims in places outside Hong Kong hard-hit by major disasters.

BEIJING, Dec 31, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Natural calamities caused 3,155 human deaths in China in 2006, the highest figure since 1998, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Typhoons, floods, landslides and hailstorms all battered China this year.

"Tropical storm Bilis caused 848 human deaths while typhoon Saomai took 483 lives," said a report from the ministry.

Bilis and Saomai fatalities accounted for 42.2 percent of the total death toll in natural calamities in 2006.

Near 30 household of victims are moving into their new houses built by local Red Cross at Xintang Township, Raoping county in Guangdong province around 10 Dec.

The people are the first ones who would move into the new house before the New Year 2007.

BEIJING, Nov 24, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) - The Chinese central government has earmarked another 1.67 billion yuan (213 million U.S. dollars) for victims of disasters to make sure they get safely through the winter, said the Finance Ministry here Friday.

Since the beginning of the year, 4.9 billion yuan (624 million U.S. dollars) of emergency disaster-relief funding has already been allocated to disaster-hit regions, the ministry said.

BEIJING, Nov 19, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- China's Vice Premier Hui Liangyu urged local authorities to do solid work in rebuilding houses for the victims in areas hit by disasters to make sure they can safely get through the winter.

Local government should do everything possible to help the victims rehabilitate their production and take care of their life, Hui said during his tour to east China's Fujian province, one of the hardest hit provinces by typhoon and flood.

The victims' will should be fully respected when rebuilding the toppled houses, Hui told local officials …

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in 185 countries.

In Brief

Operations update no.

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)

BEIJING, Sept 13, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- China's central government has set aside subsidies of 3.1 billion yuan (392 million U.S.

Floods, landslides and mudflows caused by tropical storm 'Bilis' claimed 978 lives across six provinces of southern China in July this year. The storm wreaked havoc in Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, destroying 593,000 homes and damaging infrastructure.

Weeks later, Hunan, Fujian and Jiangxi were hit again by typhoon Kaemi.

In total, 146 million people were affected by the storms and 5.91 million people have abandoned their homes.

Thousands of hectares of farmland have been completely ruined.

Typhoon Bilishi slammed into China s southeastern coast on July 14, causing massive flooding and triggering mudslides that swept away thousands of homes. People lost home, crops and even lives.

ADRA staffs bring relief to one of the most serious affected areas, GuangDong province, Ru Yuan County. They distributed 7,000kg of rice, 1,700 bottles of oil, and 1,700 bags of soy bean power and 800 kg of noodles to 1,700 families with more than 6,000 beneficiaries. More than 20 volunteers from the local church assisted with the food distribution.

Thank you for helping us.

By Helena Laatio, Information Delegate for the International Federation in Beijing

Rucheng County, in Hunan Province, is just one of the hundreds of areas devastated by Bilis and Kaemi - two of several powerful storms, which have battered southern China in recent weeks.

BEIJING, Aug 25, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) - China has suffered record meteorological disasters this year, both in terms of the number of disasters and the losses sustained, said sources with the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Friday.

Xu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the CMA, said at a video- conference on emergency response to meteorological disasters that both the death toll and economic losses caused by storms and other disasters this year had surpassed the corresponding figures for last year.

WASHINGTON, DC - In response to the magnitude of damaged caused by multiple typhoons, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $250,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' appeal for support of relief operations by the Red Cross Society of China.

Since June 2006, eight typhoons have caused severe flooding and landslides in southeastern China.