2013 China–Russia floods

Floods and damage

From the end of July to mid-August 2013, unusually heavy rainfall occurred near the Amur River, which marks the dividing line between China and Russia. Starting on August 10, 2013, areas of northeastern China began to experience flooding. From August 15 to 17, heavy rainfall worsened the problem, causing the worst flooding in the region in more than a decade. Nankouqian Township, one of the hardest-hit areas, saw 44.9 centimetres (17.7 in) of rain, half the average annual total, on August 16 alone. By August 18, water levels at 61 reservoirs surpassed the "danger" level. Fushun city in the Liaoning province was especially hard hit as rainstorms caused several rivers in the city to overflow. Across the border in eastern Russia, heavy flooding was also reported, with Amur Oblast, Jewish Autonomous Oblast and Khabarovsk Krai the hardest hit. More than 140 towns were affected by what Russia authorities described as the worst flooding in 120 years. The Amur River reached a record 100.56 metres (329.9 ft), surpassing the previous record set in 1984, and was still rising as of August 19, threatening to flood the major city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

In China, more than 60,000 homes were destroyed and numerous roads were blocked or damaged. More than 787,000 hectares of farm land were ruined in the region which depends heavily on farming. Power and communications lines were downed in several townships. Total damaged was estimated at 16.14 billion yuan (approx. US$2.6 billion/€1.94 billion). In Russia, 3.2 billion rubles (approx. US$97 million/€73 million) was allocated for relief efforts.