China storms cause $10b in damages
Affected regions provide bulk of country's winter fruit
February 03, 2008
THREE weeks of crippling snow storms across China have inflicted US$7.5 billion ($10.6b) in damages, its government said yesterday, as it also announced a $990 million relief fund for farmers.
The freakish weather - the country's worst in five decades - has paralysed China's densely-populated central and eastern regions, just as millions of travellers were seeking to board trains and buses to return home for this month's Chinese New Year.
The storms have killed at least 60 people, closed roads, disabled the rail system, destroyed crops and exacerbated a coal shortage, forcing power plants to shut down and factories to cut production.
As the toll of the damage became clear, the central bank announced that it would 'urgently create a five billion yuan farm support account, focusing on helping disaster lending by small institutions in disaster areas'.
Regions hit by the storms provide the bulk of China's winter fruit and vegetables. Mr Chen Xiwen, a top agricultural official, said yesterday that the impact of the weather on produce in some places had been 'catastrophic'.
Residents of hard-hit areas expressed anger.
'The government should have prepared for such situations earlier,' Li Xiangxiang, 23, said as she picked over suddenly scarce vegetables at a market in Hunan's capital, Changsha. 'I think the government just wasn't ready.'
The storm's effects are likely to do little long-term damage to China's overall economy. But they have cast a spotlight on the weaknesses of the country's infrastructure, which has failed to keep up with growth that has topped 10 per cent for five straight years.
Mr Zhu Hongren, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission - the country's top economic planning body - said the disaster had taken a toll on China's economy, but that it would be only short term.
Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Anhui were the worst hit regions. The central government has allocated 331 million yuan to fund local disaster relief work, Mr Zhu said.
Most parts of China are very short of electricity amid severe coal shipment disruptions and physical damage to the grid caused by the prolonged snow, rain and cold weather. -- Wire Services.
if it's lan jiao dai ji, it's none of their bizness.
because this is global cooling, not wamring..:)
My impression is tat the worst culprit in global warming is the americans. They r the biggest polluters in the world, the richest nation and the one tat refuse to do anything on pollution.
So true.
china has never denied that they were a contributer. It's america that refuses to admit it and do something about it. Like anything on the global stage these days, the absence of america means pretty much inaction.
Hating china so much you're starting to get blindsided.