Posted on 02/06/2009 6:04:39 PM PST by nickcarraway
China is suffering another natural disaster -- this time, the worst drought in half a century. The land is parched and the irrigation dams have dried up. Crops and livestock are dying.
Water levels in some Chinese rivers are well below their average with 50 to 80 percent less rain than last year.
China on Thursday raised the drought-emergency-alert level from orange to red and allocated an additional $44 million dollars on top of the $13 million in emergency aid already released.
Since November northern and central China has had little rain. Many places have not had rainfall for more than 100 days.
"The extent of drought is quite extensive, the impact is quite great," forecaster Zhang Peiqun said in an interview with state television CCTV. "Rainfall on average has been 50 to 80 percent less than that of last year."
China has been hit by a string of natural disasters in the last year. In addition to the drought, Chinese officials have had to battle back against a brutal winter that stranded millions and a deadly earthquake that killed tens of thousands.
In the drought, more than 4.3 million residents face a shortage of drinking water, as do 2 million livestock.
Don't Miss Former top Chinese official arrested The drought has hit 12 provinces, including the wheat-producing areas in Henan, Anhui, and Shandong provinces. Chinese media says the total area affected has reached 1,370 million hectares (3,385 million acres).
Reached by telephone, a spokesman of the Henan Drought Relief Headquarters told CNN that the worst affected areas were north of the Yellow River, including the cities of Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Jiaozuo and Luoyang.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Can we send lots of aid? Show up with three aircraft carrier groups?
Hillary! is heading that way. Let her fix it.
Let them eat lead and melamine.
Someone send over Jeffrey Immelt.
No wonder GE is so hyped over the coming water shortage--all he knows is China.
(...and look out Canada!)
Things might change for them if they would obey God’s laws and not kill their babies or not contracept.
Interestingly enough, no reference to global warning in the article. Also interesting, droughts in the mid-latitudes are a product of cooling.
I think that's a very unfair statement. One of my best friend's family is over there suffering yearly because they live in an area of China that has poor land. Every year, they struggle to have enough food to eat. And every fall my friend prays for her family to have enough food to make it through the winter. I would never assume I know the mind of God. No one knows why these families struggle with starving every year. Our own country is guilty of the same things. Why has God not allowed us to starve? How can we assume this is the reason for the calamities that this country has dealt with this year? Do you have special insight?
Let them eat lead and melamine.
Why don’t we send them some of Jimma Carter’s tainted peanut butter. They sent us their tainted dog food and chocolate.
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