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XINJIANG FLOOD VICTIMS RECEIVE U.S. RELIEF FUNDS

A June 2002 report from U.S. Embassy Beijing. 

Embassy officers visited flood disaster areas in the Ili Kazakh Prefecture of Xinjiang on June 16-18 to deliver U.S.Government-supplied relief aid and evaluate local conditions. The disaster appeared to be a result of unusually heavy rain over a period of weeks, and not a result of deforestation or improper human land management. The local government responded to the disaster quickly and effectively. 

Continuous Rains Destroy Houses, Crops

The Ili Kazakh Prefecture is a mountainous part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region bordering Kazakhstan and is the source for the Ili River, which runs into Kazakhstan. While "flood" is the closest English term for the disaster which befell Ili Prefecture in April and May this year, the local people more accurately called it a "rain disaster." Rain began falling on April 18 and didn’t stop for three or four weeks in some places, delivering an amount equal to the area’s average annual rainfall in just a few days. Traditional mud-brick houses in this normally arid (average rainfall is only 8-10 inches per year) simply fell apart or collapsed after three weeks of non-stop rains. There were no rushing torrents, simply gradual but relentless rains that wore down houses, roads, and fields.

The steady rains also upset the region’s planting cycle by delaying planting for weeks, thus decreasing the eventual harvest. Flooding also washed out newly planted fields. In other areas, the steady rains caused crops to rot. The impact will not fully be felt until the winter.

Prompt USG Assistance Draws Appreciation, Press Coverage

Embassy Beijing sent in a disaster declaration on May 29 and requested $50,000 to purchase flour and bedding. The U.S. Department of State responded immediately and the funds were transferred to the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), which offered to travel with Embassy representatives to witness delivery of the aid. Embassy and RCSC representatives received a report from prefectural officials in Yining City, Xinjiang on June 16.

Tieliwaerdi Abudurexiti, President of the Red Cross Society of Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, received the U.S. donation at a Distribution Kick-Off Ceremony in Yining City, also on June 16. He expressed heartfelt thanks on behalf of the people of the prefecture. The Embassy’s Environment, Science and Technology Counselor and Deputy Director Yang Huixin of the Relief Department of the Red Cross Society of China also attended the ceremony and delivered remarks. The ceremony featured the handover of an oversized "check" for $50,000 and 10 large trucks fully-laden with bags of flour and bedding, with
each bag bearing the Red Cross insignia and the words "donated by the United States government." The trucks departed directly to begin distribution work in some of the most severely affected counties of the Ili River valley. 
 
 

On June 17 and 18, an Embassy officer participated in two "town meetings" where relief supplies were distributed, and toured affected areas together with Red Cross representatives and local government officials. The disaster’s impact was localized rather than broadly affecting wide areas. Some houses in villages collapsed while other houses nearby with better materials or construction remained intact. Because of the gradual nature of the disaster, there were few deaths and residents often had time to save their possessions. In most cases, residents moved into government-supplied tents erected next to their destroyed houses, but there were cases of people living temporarily in local government office buildings. Transportation and communication systems were operational, although some roads were damaged. Red Cross representatives said that the local government  seemed to have responded well to the emergency, and the Embassy officer did not see or hear anything that would contradict that statement.

While some floods in China are caused in large part by human influence on ecosystems, human-inspired land degradation does not appear to have been the key factor in the Ili Prefecture floods. The grassland ecology in the area is in good shape, and there was little sign of overgrazing or over-logging, which can exacerbate floods.