China took extreme preventative measures to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus and had finally achieved low daily infection rates, however, it is now faced with a natural disaster. Although flooding is common in China during the summer months, weeks of torrential rains have caused the worst flooding in decades. As Chinese citizens struggle through the financial issues connected to COVID-19, many have now lost their homes and livelihoods. The floods have impacted 38 million people since June, displacing 2.24 million residents. There are currently 141 people dead or missing, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
On Sunday, the country’s flood alert was raised to the second-highest level as President Xi Jinping called for more effective measures to protect residents. The pandemic and subsequent shutdown throughout almost all of China were extremely detrimental to the country’s economy, as GDP shrank by 6.8% in the first quarter. Economic recovery efforts are likely to be hindered by extreme flooding. Many regions hardest hit by COVID-19 are also experiencing the worst of the flooding.
Read More: China has just contained the coronavirus. Now it’s battling some of the worst floods in decades
