Intense Winter Storms in China destroys 100,000 homes
Pastor Dale Morgan
Intense Winter Storms in China destroys 100,000 homes*
AP
Last updated 01:00 19/01/2010
Rescue workers were evacuating thousands of rural residents from parts
of northwestern China after extreme cold and blizzard conditions killed
four people and left half a million snowed under, meteorologists said
Monday.
Some 100,000 homes were flattened by the storms in Xinjiang, and more
than 15,000 head of livestock were killed by the cold front that set in
Sunday night.
Herders moved thousands of others to safer pastures at lower altitudes
ahead of the latest storm front, which is expected to last through
Wednesday.
Temperatures in parts of Xinjiang are set to plunge to minus 43 Celsius
by midweek, according to Xinjiang Meteorological Station forecaster Wei
Rongqing.
Wei said snow was falling in the region's Altay district, where
accumulations had already risen to 90 centimeters. Altay lies in China's
extreme northwestern corner, 2,600 kilometers northwest of Beijing, the
capital.
"Livestock raising has been hit hard. Both wild animals and livestock
haven't been able to find food, but now forage has been allocated by the
central government," Wei said. Some 500,000 people in total were
affected by the harsh weather, he said. The figure includes those who
suffered property damage and supply shortages or were isolated by snow
drifts and icy roads.
Direct economic losses were being estimated at 300 million yuan
($NZ59.24 million) as of Thursday and were expected to continue rising,
Wei said.
"We're taking emergency measures, including evacuating remote areas,"
Wei said. Calls to Xinjiang government spokesmen rang unanswered.
Parts of northern China are seeing their harshest winter in decades,
with Beijing this month receiving its heaviest one-day snowfall in 59
years. Temperatures in the capital were due to rise above freezing this
week.