China’s Historic Flood Season, in Numbers and Photos

Nearly all of China’s provincial-level regions have reported flooding after weeks of persistent rainfall

After a deadly coronavirus outbreak that peaked in China earlier this year, the country is now experiencing its worst floods in decades. In June and July, nearly all of China’s provincial-level regions reported flooding, with Hubei — the center of the coronavirus outbreak — now among the hardest-hit areas.

Here are some of the key numbers summarizing the devastation from this year’s historic flood season:

rivers whose water levels reached record highs 

people evacuated from their homes since July

total population affected since July 

A man on a raft paddles by a submerged building on a branch of the Yangtze River in Wuhan, Hubei province, July 9, 2020. People Visual

in disaster-relief subsidies disbursed by the central government

The waterfront promenade at Orange Island Park is submerged by the Xiang River, a branch of Yangtze, in Changsha, Hunan province, July 11, 2020. Sun Songjie/People Visual

worth of direct economic losses from the floods since July

Zhanggang Village is flooded by a branch of the Yangtze River in Anqing, Anhui province, July 14, 2020. People Visual

national emergency responses issued this flood season

A police officer sits near a river with unusually high water levels in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, July 14, 2020. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone

Editors: Ding Yining and David Paulk.

(Header image: Residents look out over a river in Poyang County, Jiangxi province, July 15, 2020. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone)