Human consequences
Tens of millions of people are affected; cholera and typhus spread.
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FloodYangtze and Huai River floods
2MDeaths
Not quantifiedDisplaced / homeless
Not quantifiedEstimated cost
- Widely varying estimates, from 400,000 to 4 million deaths, including famine and epidemics.
After a drought and then a very snowy winter, record monsoon rains and a series of cyclones make the Yangtze, the Huai and the Yellow River burst their banks. Wuhan stays under water for months.
Consequences
Environmental consequences
About 180,000 km² flooded, an area the size of a third of France.
Economic consequences
Rice and wheat harvests are wiped out across a vast region.
Political consequences
The Nationalist government is weakened just as Japan invades Manchuria (September 1931).
Further reading
Similar disasters
- Yellow River floodFlood · China1887
- Pakistan floodsFlood · Pakistan2022
- Vajont disasterFlood · Italy1963
- Malpasset Dam failureFlood · France1959
In the rankings : The deadliest disasters in history No. 7The deadliest floods No. 1
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