China's Natural Disasters Cost $13 Billion in Losses

China reported on Friday that natural disasters in the country have caused direct economic losses amounting to 93.16 billion yuan ($12.83 billion) in the first half of this year.

According to data from the Ministry of Emergency Management's website, these losses mark the highest related to disasters in the first half of any year since 2019.

China has faced floods, droughts, and extreme temperatures in the first six months of the year.

Earlier this year, China experienced severe cold spells and heavy snowfall, along with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in the Xinjiang region in the northwest, landslides in southwestern regions, Yellow River floods, and floods in southern provinces.

These natural disasters have affected at least 32.38 million people from January to June, resulting in the displacement or death of 322 individuals.

About 856,000 people were evacuated urgently, and 23,000 homes were destroyed. Crops over an area of about 3.17 million hectares were also affected.

The economic impact has been more severe compared to the same period last year when losses amounted to 38.23 billion yuan and 95 people were reported missing or deceased.

For the entirety of 2023, the ministry's report indicated that around 48.76 million people were affected by natural disasters.

Reuters' survey revealed that disaster management funds totaled 4.17 billion yuan since the beginning of this year, with 546 million yuan allocated last month for agricultural production and disaster relief.