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China |
Disaster Assistance at a Glance
Recent Disaster Declarations:
Floods
OFDA Response:
Emergency relief supplies
OFDA Preparedness:
Earthquake safety, capacity building, hydrometeorological risk reduction, and flood preparedness, forecasting, and management
Latest OFDA Report:
East Asia and Pacific Humanitarian Assistance in Review FY 2002-2011 (251kb PDF)
East Asia and Pacific DRR Fact Sheet #1 (282kb PDF) and map (180kb PDF)
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Most Recent Disaster Declaration:
Landslides, 08-10-10
On August 8, heavy rainfall caused landslides in China’s Zhouqu County, Gansu Province, killing approximately 337 people, with approximately 1,300 people reported missing as of August 10, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The mudflow in affected areas was nearly six feet deep, covering an area approximately 3 miles long and 500 yards wide, according to local media sources. In response, the Government of China (GoC) dispatched nearly 3,400 civilian and military forces to affected areas to distribute emergency relief commodities and assist with evacuations. Chinese authorities conducted search and rescue operations on August 9 and evacuated approximately 45,000 people, one third of the total Zhouqu County population, to safer areas. In total, floods during the 2010 flooding season have killed more than 1,600 people in China as of August 10.
On August 10, U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman issued a disaster declaration due to the effects of the landslides. In response, USAID/OFDA provided $50,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) for the provision of emergency relief supplies. This amount is in addition to the $150,000 that USAID/OFDA previously provided to the RCSC for emergency relief supplies in response to the June 24 and July 30 disaster declarations for flooding in China.
Additional Disaster Declarations:
Floods, 07-30-10
Since early June, flooding has resulted in 968 deaths and affected approximately 134 million individuals across central and southern China, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. During the final two weeks of July, severe floods and landslides in provinces of central China caused approximately 333 deaths, temporarily displaced more than 3 million people, affected 40 million others, and destroyed an estimated 140,000 houses, according to Government of China (GoC) Ministry of Civil Affairs (MoCA). In response, the GoC allocated approximately $102 million from a central government relief fund to provide emergency shelters and rebuild collapsed houses in the most affected provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Chongqing, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan. The GoC MoCA also dispatched nearly 400,000 civilian and military forces to affected areas in eight provinces to distribute emergency relief commodities and assist with evacuations and levee fortification. The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) requested additional support for its June 23 appeal, in order to respond to the effects of the latest flooding.
On July 30, U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman issued a disaster declaration due to the effects of the floods. In response, USAID/OFDA provided $100,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to the RCSC for the provision of emergency relief supplies, primarily in Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces.
Floods, 06-24-2010
Since June 10, monsoon rains have caused widespread flooding in several central and southern Chinese provinces, including the most-affected provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou. Guangdong and Fujian provinces have each received more than 40 inches of rain in recent days, with some affected provinces experiencing their worst flooding in more than 50 years, according to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. According to the Government of China (GoC), flooding has affected more than 29 million people and resulted in at least 211 deaths. The GoC also reports that at least 119 people remained missing, with more than 2.4 million others evacuated from flooded areas as of June 23. In response to the effects of the floods, the GoC has allocated approximately $37.2 million from a central government relief fund and dispatched civilian and military forces to affected areas to assist with evacuations, emergency relief supply distribution, and levee fortification.
On June 24, U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman issued a disaster declaration due to the effects of the floods. In response, USAID/OFDA provided $50,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to the Red Cross Society of China for the provision of emergency relief supplies.
Earthquake, 04-14-2010
On April 14 at 0749 hours local time, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northwest China’s Qinghai Province, followed by a series of aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.1 to 5.8, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake’s epicenter was located approximately 25 km from the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, Jiegu Township, with a population of approximately 100,000 people. According to the Government of China (GoC), the earthquake had killed 617 people, injured an estimated 9,110 others, and displaced approximately 100,000 individuals as of April 15. In addition, the Qinghai provincial government reported that an estimated 90 percent of housing structures in and around Jiegu collapsed. In response to the earthquake, the GoC declared a Level 1 Emergency, the most serious classification, and deployed national and local rescue teams to affected areas. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reports indicated that the earthquake disrupted electrical, water, and communications systems in affected areas, and difficult road conditions hindered initial rescue efforts.
On April 14, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Robert Goldberg declared a disaster due to the effects of the earthquake. In response, USAID/OFDA provided $100,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to the Red Cross Society of China and the Qinghai Red Cross for the provision of emergency relief supplies.
Earthquake, 05-13-2008
On May 12, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Wenchuan County in China’s southwest Sichuan Province. Early reports from the Sichuan provincial government indicated the quake had killed an estimated 12,000 people, injured more than 26,000 others, and left thousands buried. The earthquake caused approximately 500,000 buildings to collapse throughout Sichuan Province, according to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. The humanitarian community expected the number of deaths to increase significantly as rescue teams continued to access the most affected areas near the epicenter. Aftershocks occurred through May 13, causing residents of affected areas to temporarily take shelter in tent cities rather than return to damaged houses. On May 13, Chinese rescue teams and army troops arrived in Wenchuan County after storms, inaccessible highways, and severed communications had initially prevented access to the mountainous region. However, vehicular access remained impossible as of May 13, and landslides and storms continued to hamper recovery efforts.
On May 13, U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr., declared a disaster due to the impact of the earthquake. In response, USAID/OFDA provided $500,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for the procurement and delivery of emergency relief commodities.
Winter Emergency, 02-01-2008
Since January 10, unusually heavy snow and freezing rain affected 14 provinces in south and central China. The severe winter weather killed 38 individuals, displaced nearly 830,000 people, and affected more than 77 million others, according to the Government of China (GOC) Ministry of Civil Affairs. The GOC also reported that severe weather destroyed more than 100,000 houses, damaged nearly 400,000 others, and resulted in economic losses of more than $4.5 billion. Media reports indicated higher totals. As of February 1, the GOC had provided more than $2 billion in disaster relief to nine affected provinces, distributed 500,000 quilts and 250,000 articles of clothing, and mobilized approximately 1 million soldiers and paramilitary troops to clear roads and repair downed power lines.
On February 1, U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr., requested disaster assistance due to the effects of the severe winter weather. In response, USAID/OFDA provided an initial $50,000 to the Red Cross Society of China to provide emergency relief supplies to affected populations in Guizhou Province.
For information on additional USAID disaster responses, please see OFDA Annual Reports.
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