China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) reported earlier this week that 6 provinces of the country have been affected by storms and severe weather since 01 October.
Flooding, landslides and rain damage has been reported in the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan and Shaanxi. As of 09 October, 15 people had died in Chongqing, 4 in Hubei and 4 in Shaanxi.
More than 5,200 homes have been destroyed and around 35,000 people have been displaced. A further 24,000 have been damaged.
Chinese news agency Xinhua reported on 08 October that more than 43,000 people in Hubei Province have been affected by flooding of the Hanjiang River, in particular near Jingmen.
Xinhua also reported that heavy rain in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and its tributary, the Hanjiang River over the last few days means that water releases from the Three Gorges reservoir were necessary and likely to begin from 12 October with the potential to cause flooding downstream.
