China News Service, February 7 (Xinhua) According to the website of the Ministry of Emergency Management, recently, the Office of the National Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief Committee, together with relevant member units, discussed and approved the national natural disaster situation in January 2024. In January, the main natural disasters in my country were earthquakes, geological disasters, low temperature freezing and snow disasters. Drought, wind and hail, forest fires, etc. also occurred to varying degrees. Various natural disasters caused a total of 2.289 million people to be affected to varying degrees, 50 people died due to disasters, and 24,000 people were urgently relocated; more than 600 houses collapsed, more than 1,700 houses were severely damaged, and 27,000 houses were generally damaged; the crop damage area was 2.071 million Thousand hectares; direct economic loss of 3 billion yuan.
The main characteristics of natural disasters across the country in January are:
1. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake occurred in Wushi, Xinjiang, and a landslide occurred in Zhenxiong, Yunnan
In January, 38 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or above occurred in mainland my country, and 9 earthquakes of magnitude 5 or above occurred, which were stronger than the average for the same period in previous years. Among them, the 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Wushi, Xinjiang on January 23 was the second earthquake of magnitude above 7 in mainland my country since the 7.4-magnitude Maduo earthquake in Qinghai in 2021. Since then, there have been many aftershocks in the local area. The epicenter was located in a relatively sparsely populated high-altitude area. According to preliminary statistics, the earthquake caused 43,000 people in Xinjiang (including the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps) to be affected to varying degrees, 3 people died, and 21,000 people were urgently relocated; more than 500 houses collapsed, and 21,000 houses were damaged. 10,000 rooms; direct economic loss of 290 million yuan. On January 22, a landslide occurred in Liangshui Village, Tangfang Town, Zhenxiong County, Yunnan Province, killing 44 people.
2. The cold wave affects a wide range of areas, with severe freezing and snow disaster losses.
In January, there were 4 cold air processes affecting our country. Among them, January 19-23 was a nationwide cold wave weather process with a large cooling range and wide coverage, affecting more than 25 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities). This year, a cold wave occurred in the south. The first large-scale snowfall has adversely affected municipal pipelines, communications, electricity, transportation, etc. in some areas. 2.083 million people were affected to varying degrees in 12 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) including Jiangxi, Hunan and Guizhou. Nearly 1,500 houses were damaged. Some old vegetable greenhouses were damaged in Hunan, Guizhou and other places. The affected area of crops was 1.971 thousand hectares, and the direct economic loss was 2.61 billion. Yuan. In addition, on January 12, three people died due to an avalanche in Burqin County, Altay Region, Xinjiang.
3. Sporadic wind and hail disasters occurred in the southwestern region, but the situation across the country was generally stable.
In January, sporadic wind and hail disasters occurred in southwest China and other places. 82,000 people were affected to varying degrees in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and other provinces. The affected area of crops was 69,000 hectares, causing direct economic losses of 50 million yuan. In terms of winter floods, the length of the Yellow River is 792.6 kilometers, and the four major rivers in the northeastern region, the Nenjiang River, the Wusuli River, the Songhua River, and the Heilongjiang River, are all frozen stably, and the cold weather is generally stable.
4. Drought has emerged in the southwest, and the forest and grassland fire situation is stable.
In January, the overall drought across the country was mild, with drought emerging in southwest China. Local droughts in Kunming and Yuxi in Yunnan caused 63,000 people to be affected to varying degrees, and the affected crop area was 29,000 hectares. Affected by the recent continuous rainy weather in southwest China, the drought situation in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and other places has not continued to develop, and the soil moisture shortage in some areas has been alleviated. In addition, according to preliminary statistics, there were 7 forest fires and no grassland fires across the country in January.