2008 Chinese winter storms

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2008 Chinese winter storms
Residents battle China’s worst
snow storm in 50 years
Storm type: Series of low pressure systems and cold snap
Formed:January 25,2008[1]
Dissipated:February 6, 2008
Maximum
amount1:
Lowest
pressure:
Damages: At least 151.65 billionChinese yuan[2]
Fatalities: at least 129
Areas affected:Hubei,Hunan,Zhejiang,Guizhou,Guangdong,Jiangxi,Guangxi,Fujian,Henan,Shandong,Jiangsu,Anhui,Shanghai,Chongqing,Shanxi,Sichuan
1Maximum snowfall or ice accretion
The 2008 Chinese winter storms are a series ofwinter storm events that affected large portions of southern and centralChina starting on25 January2008 until6 February 2008. The systems affected most of the area withheavy snows,ice andcold temperatures causing extensive damage andtransportation disruption for several thousand travellers. It has become China‘s worst winter weather in half a century. According to some media sources the storms were directly responsible for at least 129 deaths.[2]
Contents
[hide]
1 Cold snap and blizzard2 Causes3 Effects3.1 Damage3.2 Transportation3.2.1 Railway3.2.2 Highway3.2.3 Water transport3.2.4 Airport
3.3 Fatalities3.4 Economic impact and costs3.5 Government response
4 Foreign and interior aid5 See also6 References7 External links
[edit] Cold snap and blizzard
The series of severe winter events started on10 January when a large dome of cold air enveloped most parts of China, causing much precipitation in the form of heavy snow west of the coastal areas. The provinces ofHubei,Henan,Shandong,Jiangsu,Anhui and the municipality ofShanghai were hardest hit. Some received their worst snow storms in seventeen years while some experienced their worst in five decades. After the first wave of precipitation had passed through, snow continued to fall throughout several days following, accompanied by bitterly cold weather.[3][4]
Snow was even reported in the country‘s biggest desert, theTaklamakan, where the snow and record low temperatures near −25 °C (−13 °F) lasted 11 consecutive days and killed livestock. At one point, the temperature dropped to −32 °C (−26 °F), breaking the January 2006 record of −26.1 °C (−15 °F), though it must be noted that the historical temperature series in this observatory is very short (started in 1996). The snow depth exceeded 4 centimetres (1.6 in) at times in the center of the desert according to the Tazhong Observatory. According toXinhua, it was the first time that snow covered the entire desert at the same time.[5]
[edit] Causes
According to scientists at China‘s National Climate Center and theUnited Nations‘Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), these winter storms in China have been mainly related to abnormalatmospheric circulation andLa Niña, and are not directly linked toclimate change.[6] The China Meteorological Administration mentionned that the 2007-08 winter was the coldest recorded across the country since 1986-87 with a one month-period during the winter storm event that was 2.5 Degrees Celsius below normal.[7]
[edit] Effects

Provinces affected by the snow storm:      Severely affected      Affected
[edit] Damage
The snow storm caused extensive damage to a vast number of low-rise buildings, the roofs of which collapsed, killing occupants inside. It was estimated that about 223,000 homes were destroyed and 862,000 others were damaged. CNN also reported that 500 meter-long auto plant inXiangtan had its entire roof collapsed[8][9]
The power system of China was also severely affected by the adverse conditions. Widespread power outages were reported. InChenzhou, which has a population of 4.6 million, it was reported that the entire city had no power or water for over nearly two weeks, including government buildings and hospitals, while telecommunications cables and Internet networks were also damaged.[10] InFuzhou, Jiangxi, it was reported that the city lost power for about 3 weeks.[1]At one point, seventeen of the thirty-one provinces and autonomous regions of China had to endure reduced power supplies. Beginning1 February, all of Shanghai‘s skyline night lights were shut off to support relief efforts and was not be resumed until the storm was declared officially over. InGuizhou, officials said it could take up to five months to fully mend the power grid. Xinhua reported that electricity across most of the 170 worst hit counties was restored by the Chinese New Year.[1]Coal reserves were also down to emergency levels and stockpiles were only sufficient for eight days of power generation.[11]
The snow storm also damaged water supply equipment. For instance, inWuhan, up to 100,000 people were out of running water when several water pipes burst, cutting the supply to local households. In theGuangxi region, about 239 000 were also having problems on accessing drinking water.[12] Moreover, during the first week, there were significant mandatory evacuations and an estimated 827,000 people were evacuated across fourteen provinces, affecting a total population of about 78 million. In total over two weeks, according to Xinhua, 1.8 million residents were relocated elsewhere.[13][14] In addition, 870,000pigs, 450,000sheep and 85,000 head of cattle were killed by the storm.[15][8] In addition, 18,600,000 acres (75,000 km²) of forest were destroyed 6,800,000 acres (27,500 km²) ofbamboo, 11,500,000 acres (47,000 km²) of wood and 15,000 acres (61 km²) ofsaplings[16] The freak storms are especially painful because they hit warmer parts of China that have little experience with snow. Many communities lack necessary equipment to handle the heavy snowfall.
[edit] Transportation
Transportation was also heavily affected as the storms hit during the busiest travelling season of the year,Chunyun preceding theLunar New Year. Nearly 180 million people, more than the population ofRussia, travel throughout the country during the holiday.[17] According toXinhua, in early February, millions of Chinese are travelling from the major cities to the countryside to celebrate the Spring Festival, a traditional celebration where the Chinese people return to their families, which falls on on7 February this year.[14]

Snowstorm inLeiyang
[edit] Railway
Heavy snow damagedJingguang railway. Tens of thousands of people (on occasion as many as 500,000 to 800,000 at once) were left stranded at several railway stations across southern China, includingGuangzhou railway station. It was estimated that nearly 6 million railway passengers in total were stranded during the period while about 8,000 cargo trains were delayed.[18] Backlogs at that station where masses of people were waiting desperately to return home lasted several days. Many of the travellers took refuge in an emergency shelter at the China Import and Export Fair exhibition center where at times the mass of people was about the size of three to four entire football fields. Goods were distributed to stranded travellers including free water bottles and lunch boxes of rice, chicken legs and cabbage that were sold at about a dollar each.[19]
Red banners were installed at one station encouraging some travellers to abandon their travel plans and nearly half a million of them cancelled their trips after lengthy waits. Xinhua reported that 11 million migrant workers in the Guangdong area received ticket refunds. Most of the rail service resumed on31 January but heavy fog on3 February caused further delays particularly in Hunan. The lengthy delays occasionally caused clashes between travellers, police and soldiers.[20][21][22][23]
[edit] Highway
Several main highways including inShanxi and Henan as well asJingzhu Expressway, the main highway connecting the capital Beijing and Guangdong province, were shut down. Seven of the eight highways connecting Hunan and Guangdong were closed and all public highways in Anhui were closed. The road closures disrupted transportation of goods across several areas of the country where there were concerns of significant food shortage as the storm also did significant damage to crops.
[edit] Water transport
Water transportation was also affected as 10 boats at theShanghai port which contained goods were stuck and unable to unload because of sea levels.[24]
[edit] Airport
About 60,000 bus riders were stranded at various highways and 19 major airports at 10 cities were also closed at one point. 10,000 atBaiyun Airport in Guangzhou were stranded after 55 flights were cancelled. In total, about 3 250 flights were cancelled and another 5,550 were delayed.[9] All provincial bus services inJiangxi were halted. The Chinese Public Safety Ministry mentioned that about 1 million police officers were dispatched to keep the roadways open but numerous trucks were stranded in many areas. 100 diesel locomotives were also dispatched in attempt to get stranded trains back into service[25][14][13]
[edit] Fatalities
According toCNN, 63 were killed as of31 January due to the effects of the storm,[26] many of them because of the cold or collapsed roofs. The toll was later risen to at least 107 according to Xinhua.[16] Among the fatalities, 11 were killed by a bus accident in Anhui in which the bus flipped into a ditch on January 21.[27] Another crash on28 January killed at least 25 when a bus plunged into an icy road nearZunyi City. Three electricians were killed inHunan while attempting to remove snow and ice from power lines and were named "revolutionary martyrs" by the government.[14][28]As there was a gradual restoration of train services, stampedes killed at least one person in Guangzhou.[23] Chinese officials mentioned that medical teams treated about 200 000 sick and injured people while 60 died from the cold.[29]. 11 electricians were also killed while restoring power across the country, but it wasn‘t clear if they were included in the official death toll of 60 people killed in accidents and building collapses blamed on the storms.[30]
[edit] Economic impact and costs

North Zhongshan Road,Nanjing on28 January2008
The Chinese economy, which has experienced rapid growth over the past several years, was also affected by the winter event. According to theBBC, the country‘s civil affairs ministry estimated that the costs to thecountry‘s economy were about 54 billionrenminbi but the cost rose to 80 billion renminbi as of February 7.[31][1] Damage estimates as of February 13 were at about 111 billion renminbi. Insurance companies across the country received tens of thousands of compensation cases including half a million from the hardest hit regions.[16]
Analysts also mentioned that extensive loss of crops (of over 4 million hectares) including fresh vegetables and fruit may result in a substantial inflation of food prices.[28] At least 11 provinces reported significant price increases after the loss of millions of crops. The price for box lunches increased fivefold across many areas in the aftermath. During the month of January, the country‘sproducer price index hit a three-year high with a rise 6.1% including a near 30% surge in crude prices, near 9% in fuel, raw materials and power prices and a 7 to 10% increase in diesel oil, kerosene and gasoline prices. In addition, food prices climbed by 10% to as much as 18% during the month and significantly affected theConsumer Price Index (CPI). Theinflation rate itself reached 7.1% the highest since September 1996 where it hit 7.4%.[32][33]
In addition, productivity at numerous factories has been affected. Among them, steel and aluminum production were scaled back due to a significant shortage of raw materials and loss of production of about 50,000 tonnes of lead and zinc are forecast in Hunan. Telecom companies will have significant repair costs as about 10,000 kilometers of lines were affected. The Ministry of Information Industry mentioned that this has affected 33 million users and costed at least 80 million yuan up until27 January. Other sectors affected were hotels, airlines and auto sales while other businesses had disruption in the supply of products because of transportation delays. The Chinese government mentioned that the storm should not have a significant long-term affect on the general economy but would not be without significant short-term problems.[34][35]
The winter weather may have been responsible for a 7% drop of theShanghai Composite Index due to concerns at the effects of transport breakdowns and power shortages. However the storms happened at the same time as significantworldwide stock market volatility due to concerns of arecession in theUnited States. Energy-related stocks rose as much as 23% due to the rise of profits because of the weather woes[25][34]
[edit] Government response

Snow inShanghai
The winter storms marked the largest national mass mobilization since the 2002SARS crisis and is comparable in size to the relief efforts of the1998 Yangtze River Floods. ChinesePremierWen Jiabao issued an apology to citizens regarding the situation in a public televised appearance at a railway station inChangsha, Hunan.[36] He mentioned that the electrical system would be first to be fixed before restoring normal train operations for Lunar New Year holiday travellers. The severe weather also led to an emergency meeting of thePolitburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China chaired bypresidentHu Jintao to discuss ways in order to control the situation.[14]
About 300,000 troops and 1.1 million reservists were deployed to assist relief efforts and snow removal across various parts of affected regions.[28][29]The government also announced a $700 million (2008USD) plan for helping farmers who had their crops destroyed by the winter weather.[26] In addition, the government spent over 330 million renminbi for local disaster relief operations.[9] On1 February, Premier Wen held aState Council meeting to discuss matters related to the snowstorms, and immediately afterwards flew out to Hunan to inspect relief efforts. President Hu visited various coal mines to urge them to help end power shortages.[37]
There were also reports that China would invest significantly in better forecasting and cooperation between weather departments in the event of future storms as there were reports of criticism of the weather agencies. According to theChina Meteorological Administration, there are plans to invest nearly 2 billion yuan (US$300 million) for the improvement of the weather forecasting work, which was reportedly approved by theState Council, the Chinese Cabinet.[38]
In addition, several weather experts from the meteorological office, told that the country was not properly prepared to face a winter weather event of this magnitude. Some had praised northern parts of the country for their emergency plans in unusual weather. but have criticized those from southern parts. The Chinese Meteorological Administration also added that officials were not expecting such a lengthy episode of severe winter weather with an extensive impact across a large area.[39]
Premier Wen Jiabao spent Chinese New Year inJiangxi while inspecting relief efforts.
[edit] Foreign and interior aid
The Red Cross Society of China reported at they received at least 60 million yuan in donation and provided donations of food, medicine, quilts, coats and tents. In addition, some other events including an opera performance raised additional funds for the areas affected.[40] In addition, several foreign countries across the world had offered monetary assistance for the relief efforts.
 Mongolian government has offered US$43,000 in aid for snow disaster relief.[41] Singaporean government has pledged US$500,000 in emergency aid to China‘s foreign ministry.[42] Syrian government has pledged US$100,000 in emergency aid to China.[43] United States government has said it will give US$150,000 in emergency aid to China via theChinese Red Cross.[42] Hong Kong and Macau donated a significant amount to the relief crisis. Local newspapers in theSpecial administrative region tried to increase the people‘s awareness in the donation.[44] On March 7, 2008 the PRCparamount leaderHu Jintao publicly responded and thanked the region in a 15-minute speech.[45]
Donation source Amount
HK/Macau billionaire elites (10 大富豪) including:
Zhang cung-kiu (張松橋)
Choi zi-ming (蔡志明)
Cheng Yu Tung (鄭裕彤)
Lau lun-hung (劉鑾鴻)
Lau lun-hong (劉鑾雄)
Ho cyu-gwok (何柱國)
Pansy Ho (何超瓊)
Peter Lam (林健岳)
Albert Yeung (楊受成)
Wong zi-coeng (黃志祥)HK$10 million[44]
Hong Kong government relief fund (香港政府賑災基金)HK$13,430,000[44]
Shimao property (世茂房地產控股有限公司)HK$10 million[44]
Tong Ren Tang (北京同仁堂)HK$3 million[44]
Hong Kong syun ming association (香港宣明會)HK$4 million[44]
CLP Group (中電集團)HK$1 million
[46][44]
Bank of East Asia (東亞銀行有限公司)HK$1 million[44]
Council (廠商會)HK$800,000[44]
China Merchants Holdings
(招商局國際有限公司)HK$50,000[44]
HK government staff
(行政會議非官守議員)HK$503,000[44]
PLA HK Garrison fundHK$300,000[44]
Hong Kong Red CrossHK$32 million[44]
Hong Kong Jockey ClubHK$10 million[44]
Chinese enterprise association (中國企業協會)HK$4 million[44]
Bank of China charity (中銀香港慈善基金)HK$3 million[44]
Megaman HK (曼佳美)HK$1 million[44]
Ocean Park Hong KongHK$1 million[44]
HK Shanghai chamber of commerce (上海商會)HK$500,000[44]
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (民建聯)HK$275,000[44]
十巴仙布施計畫HK$200,000[44]
Association of Chartered Certified AccountantsHK$100,000[44]
[edit] See also
Winter storms of 2007-08
[edit] References
^abcd BBC News. "Snow-hit China welcomes New Year", BBC,7 February 2008.  ^ab (Chinese)129 People Killed, 4 Missing in Winter Storms,Xinhua News Agency, February 23, 2008.^ Bodeen, Christopher (Associated Press). "Heavy snow blamed for 15 deaths in China", January 20, 2008. ^ Associated Press. "Winter storm chaos grips China", USA Today,29 January2008. ^ Xinhua. "China‘s biggest desert Taklamakan experiences record snow", Xinhuanet.com, February 1, 2008. ^ Perry, Michael. "China‘s snow storms not climate change-scientists", Reuters UK,31 January2008. ^ Xinhua. "China experiences coldest winter in two decades", ChinaDaily.com, February 18, 2008.  ^ab CNN. "New devastation emerges in China", CNN.com,4 February2008.  ^abc Hernandez, Vittorio. "Three-Week Massive Snow Storm Costs Chinese Economy $7.5 Billion", All Headline News, February 1, 2008. ^ Jian, Yang & Chen, Lydia. "Crisis in Chenzhou – No power or water", The Shanghai Daily,31 January, 2008. ^ BBC News. "China in power shortage warning", BBC,23 January 2008. ^ Reuters Alertnet. "CWS appeal: China winter storm response", Reuters Alertnet,6 February 2008.  ^ab French, Howard W.. "Snowstorms in China Kill at Least 24", The New York Times,29 January 2008.  ^abcde CNN. "Crash kills 25 as snow cripples China", CNN.com,29 January 2008. ^ RIA Novosti. "China‘s snow storms cause $7.5 billion damage", Russian News and Information Agency : Novosti,2 February 2008.  ^abc107 People Killed in Winter Storms,Xinhua News Agency, February 13, 2008.^ Associated Press. "Deadly winter storms wallop China", CTV,29 January2008. ^ Foreman, William (Associated Press). "Chinese Workers Suffer in Snowstorms", LimaOhio.com,1 February2008. ^ Associated Press. "China paralyzed by storms, 25 die in bus crash", MSNBC,29 January 2008. ^ Associated Press. "China says snow storms have killed 60", Canoe.ca,22 January 2008. ^ CNN. "China advises millions to abandon travel plans", CNN.com,31 January 2008. ^ Associated Press. "China rail services resuming", CNN.com,31 January 2008.  ^ab BBC News. "Storm-hit China calls for ‘faith‘", BBC,3 February 2008. ^ Buckley, Chris & Blanchard, Ben (Reuters). "Winter storms hit Chinese economy", The International Herald Tribune,28 January2008.  ^ab BBC News. "Chinese freeze strands thousands", BBC,28 January 2008.  ^ab CNN. "Chaos as Chinese travelers stampede stations", CNN.com,1 February2008. ^ BBC News. "Snow hampers China New Year plans", BBC,27 January2008.  ^abc BBC News. "Food warnings amid China freeze", BBC,31 January 2008.  ^ab BBC News. "China warns of more bad weather", BBC,2 February2008. ^ San Jose Mercury News. "11 electricians killed in China storms", SJMN,5 February2008. ^ BBC News. "China freeze ‘has cost billions‘", BBC,1 February 2008. ^ Xinhua. "China‘s producer price index hits three-year high", Xinhua.com, February 18, 2008. ^ BBC News. "China inflation hits 11-year high]", BBC, February 19, 2008.  ^ab BBC News. "Snow-hit China has ‘new priority‘", BBC, February 1, 2008. ^ Jiang, Catherine & Chung, Olivia. "Inflation gloom in China snow chaos", Asia Times Online, January 30, 2008. ^ CBC News. "Winter storm sparks travel woes for thousands in China", CBC,29 January2008. ^ Xinhua. "Leaders‘ visits boost morale amid China‘s winter-weather crisis", Xinhuanet.com,2 February 2008. ^ Xinhua News Agency. "Forecaster: China‘s winter storm to continue", Xinhuanet.com,30 January2008. ^ BBC News. "China ‘not ready‘ for snow crisis", BBC,4 February2008. ^ Xinhua. "China red cross donations reach 60 mln yuan", Xinuanet.com,6 February 2008. ^ Xinhua. "Mongolia offers aid to China to fight snow disaster", Xinhuanet.com,6 February 2008.  ^ab Xinhua. "Singapore, U.S. pledge emergency aid to Chinese snow-ravaged regions", Xinhuanet.com,4 February 2008. ^ Xinhua. "More countries, int‘l organizations express sympathy to China over snow havoc", Xinhuanet.com,5 February 2008.  ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv Singtao newspaper February 6, 2008. Section A-14.^ HK Standard. "HK Standard." Unite the people, Hu tells HK delegates. Retrieved on2008-03-06.^ CLPgroupomment. "CLPgroup." CLP Pledges HK$1 million Towards Snow Storm Relief Efforts in Mainland China. Retrieved on2008-02-17.
[edit] External links

Wikinews has related news:China‘s winter weather threatens food supplies
Images of the winter events (via BBC)China Travel Guide
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_winter_storms"
Categories:2008 natural disasters |Blizzards |Natural disasters in China |Natural history of China |2008 in China