Car 'graveyard' a monument to the power of China's record floods

An aerial photo taken on Aug 10, 2021, shows vehicles damaged by floods in July at a carpark in Zhengzhou.PHOTO: AFP

• PUBLISHED
  AUG 12, 2021, 2:50 PM SGT

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BEIJING (AFP, XINHUA) - Endless rows of mud-caked vehicles damaged by deadly floods last month sit abandoned in a carpark in Zhengzhou, an unwitting memorial to the power of the disaster that hit Henan province.

The region is rebuilding after the deadliest floods in a decade wreaked havoc across the province in mid-July, killing over 300 people and damaging thousands of cars and buildings.

"We were forced to abandon our vehicles and leave when the waters rose," a Zhengzhou resident surnamed Wang said.

At least 238,000 damaged vehicles have been sent to "graveyards" like the one on the outskirts of Zhengzhou, head of Henan's insurance regulator Ma Chao told state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday (Aug 10).

Record downpours dumped a year's worth of rain on Zhengzhou - the capital of Henan province and the epicentre of the flooding - in just three days, with over 290 people killed.

Dozens of people died while trapped in flooded subway carriages, underground carparks and tunnels.

The floods also triggered record insurance claims worth US$1.7 billion (S$2.3 billion) after thousands of cars and buildings were damaged, insurer Goldman Sachs said in a July report.

The local government last week said economic losses due to the floods have ballooned to over US$20.65 billion, and promised swift compensation.

But critics say the process has been painfully slow.

Resident Wang, who lost his car, added: "Now getting compensation has become a real headache, with dozens of forms to fill in."

An aerial photo taken on Aug 10, 2021 shows vehicles damaged by floods in July at a carpark in Zhengzhou. PHOTO: AFP

A photo taken on July 21, 2021 shows cars sitting in floodwaters after heavy rain in Zhengzhou. PHOTO: AFP

A landmark UN study released on Monday warned that northern China was prone to more freak weather events, including heavy floods and punishing droughts, due to climate change.

China's National Meteorological Centre on Thursday renewed its yellow alert for rainstorms in some central and eastern parts of the country, calling for precautionary measures.

From 2pm on Thursday to 2pm on Friday, heavy rain is expected in parts of Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, with up to 200mm of rainfall in certain areas.

Parts of the five provinces are likely to encounter over 80mm of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms and gales.

The national observatory has advised local authorities to remain alert for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides, and recommended halting outdoor activities in hazardous areas.

China has a four-tier colour-coded weather-warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. 

This article was originally published on https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/car-graveyard-a-monument-to-the-power-of-chinas-record-floods . Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes. 

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