Floods are an annual occurence in China during the monsoon season. Although this year has not been as severe as last year, flooding has still had a devastating impact on millions of people. So far this year, 35 million lives have been disrupted in the five provinces most seriously affected. Over one-million people have been displaced and 500,000 have lost their homes; nearly two million hectares of farmland have been damaged, contributing to an estimated economic loss of 2.4 billion Swiss francs.
JIANGXI PROVINCE, China -- One chair is all that is left of Tsu Wen Wah's worldly goods. A lifetime of belongings was washed away in only 30 minutes when a flash flood hit her home in Jaingxi province in southeastern China.
Although floods are frequent in the province, this 71-year-old grandmother has never experienced anything as violent as the torrent of water that swept through the village of Tong Hua where she has lived all her life.
Of the 550 families living in Tong Hua, 302 lost their homes in the disaster. This year's rice crop was washed away, only days before it was to be harvested.