2012-07-26

Beijing flood damage exceeds ¥10 billion

Although headlines say 37 dead, the total is already 61 and may still rise further. Damage is over ¥10 billion in just one suburb, albeit by far the hardest hit and making up the vast bulk of the losses.
Beijing floods leave 37 dead as more rain forecasted

More rain is forecast, but the forecast is for about 1/20 of what fell on Saturday.

Here's an article looking at the social mood: Chinese government slammed after flood
Fangshan, a rural district on the southwestern edge of Beijing, was decimated by a torrent of muddy floodwaters, raising suspicions that hundreds of dead may still be unaccounted for. A stretch of the G4 expressway leading through the area was submerged under several feet of brown water with dozens of vehicles marooned underneath.

The collective frustration of millions of Chinese is being shared on the country's frenetic Twitter-like microblogging platforms - outpacing the ability of censors to scrub away criticism of the government's response to the rainstorm.
The article goes on to incorrectly time the Wenzhou accident, it was last year.

I've heard of more than 100 cars being submerged at the deepest spots, the bridge that saw waters about 20 feet above the highway and almost to the overpass.

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