Friday, July 23, 2021

Death toll rises as passengers recount horror of China subway floods

In the awful flooding in Germany the other day, they got two months of rain in two days.  I heard on the radio a couple of days ago that an area of China got the same amount of rain in one hour as Germany did in one day of their flooding.

The global warming denialists are mass murderers.

 

 https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/22/china/zhengzhou-henan-china-flooding-update-intl-hnk/index.html

 

By Nectar Gan and Zixu Wang, CNN
Updated 4:45 AM ET, Fri July 23, 2021

At least 33 people have died and eight remain missing in central China, as authorities ramp up rescue and recovery efforts following devastating floods that submerged entire neighborhoods, trapped passengers in subway cars, caused landslides and overwhelmed dams and rivers.
Torrential rains have battered Henan province since last weekend, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and causing 1.22 billion yuan (about $190 million) of economic damage, Henan authorities said Thursday.
Home to 99 million residents, Henan is one of China's most populous and poorest provinces, with large swathes of farmlands and factories.

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Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of 12 million people, is one of the worst-hit areas, with 12 killed after being trapped for hours on a flooded subway line. But many smaller cities and villages have also been badly ravaged. With more rains forecast for the region, the death toll is expected to rise as rescue work continues.

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Stories of heroism have also emerged, with one widely circulated video showing a man, later identified by state media as Yang Junkui, a former special forces solider, repeatedly diving into the flood waters to save five people, some of whom were trapped underwater in their cars. "I practiced in the army," Yang told Xinhua. "My mind is about saving lives, and I turn my face to save lives."
State media also broadcast footage showing rescue workers freeing a baby trapped under the rubble of a collapsed house in Xingyang city. The baby, which state media said had been trapped for 24 hours before being rescued, was taken to hospital for treatment and is reportedly in a stable condition. State media reported that the baby's mother was later found dead.

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Though flooding during the summer months is an annual occurrence in parts of China, recent record-breaking rains have alarmed scientists and officials, raising questions as to whether the country is prepared to deal with more extreme and unpredictable weather amplified by climate change.

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Henan authorities said the intensity of the downpour was unprecedented, with more than 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of rain dumping onto Zhengzhou in one hour on Tuesday afternoon -- accounting for one third of the city's annual rainfall recorded last year.

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