World News 23-08-2002 One Million Chinese Fight Flood Threat who: Vicegovernor of Hunan, Pang Daomu what: Says province is in state of emergency as thousands help secure banks of huge lake where: China when: Yesterday snippet: "Nearly a million people were desperately trying to build up flood defences around China`s second-biggest lake yesterday," says The Telegraph, "as it threatened to overflow and inundate millions of homes." More than 900,000 people piled up sandbags to protect the central province of Hunan from the rising waters of Lake Dongting, "which is about the size of Luxembourg", says The Scotsman. A state of emergency has been declared which "gives the authorities the power to commandeer civilian vehicles and materials and to draft in police officers or emergency services workers to the anti-flood effort". "Sixteen people have been killed and 27,000 houses have collapsed as a result of flooding in the area," reports the BBC. "Nearly 500,000 hectares (1,250,000 acres) of crops have already been ruined." A wave currently surging down the Yangtze River is expected to raise the water level to its higest point on Sunday. If Lake Dongting bursts its banks, says Oliver August in The Times, "water could wash across flat farmlands where 10 million people live. Many have started to flee their homes." [... more]

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