Floods in China:kill 12, displace thousands

CHINA: Flash floods in southwest and northwest China have left at least a dozen dead and put thousands of others in harm's way, state media reported Sunday.

In the southwestern province of Sichuan, at least six people have died and another 12 are missing after torrential rain triggered flash floods, state-owned news outlet CGTN reported.

Some 1,300 people had been evacuated as of Saturday, the report said.

Another six fatalities have been confirmed and 3,000 people have been evacuated in Longnan City, in the northwest province of Gansu, state television CCTV reported. In the worst-affected areas, rainfall in 1 1/2 days reached 98.9 millimetres (3.9 inches), about double the July average.

The country has been experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures last week reaching as high as 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) in Shanghai and the eastern Zhejiang province.

According to experts, climate change is increasing the likelihood of these extreme weather events. More water may be stored in warmer air, which causes larger cloudbursts when it is released.

Flooding exacerbates economic problems that have already been caused in part by rigorous "zero-COVID" regulations that limit movement and disrupt supply chains.

Extreme weather has not only been occurring in China this summer. Drought-related low water levels in the Rhine in Germany have hampered the flow of goods into the nation. The southern region of the United States has also experienced heat waves, and in the next days, temperatures are predicted to exceed 38 C (100 F).

     A vehicle is seen near a part of a bridge that was washed away by flood waters along a river in Qingyang in northwest China’s Gansu province on July 16, 2022. | Photo Credit: AP