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30 August 2002 By France Hurtubise, Dongting Lake, China Millions of people living along Dongting Lake in Hunan province are now able to breathe a sigh of relief as the threat of rising water levels has abated. However, a state of emergency is still in force downstream as the water level of the Yangtze river in the neighbouring province of Jiangxi, is still slightly above the danger mark. On Thursday, the water level in Jiuqiang city along the river had fallen to 20.74 metres, just under one metre above the danger mark. Although the worst has passed, many of the thousands of people evacuated as a preventative measure will not be able to return to their homes for several months to come. In the village of Yang Liu Yuan in Yue Yang county, more than 2,000 people with little more than bare essentials and now reliant on aid, were forced to seek refuge in schools and with relatives. The Chinese Red Cross has been responding to repeated flood emergencies since April in Hunan province. Local Red Cross assistance in the form of tents, quilts, and water purification tablets is being supported through a US$ 3.3 million appeal by the International Federation, and is being supplemented with wheat and rice donated by the Shanghai and Guandong provincial branches of the Red Cross, quilts donated by the Red Cross national headquarters in Beijing as well as tents from the Hong Kong Red Cross. During the emergency around Dongting Lake, the Hunan branch of the Red Cross distributed biscuits to flood victims and bottles of water to volunteers and troops re-enforcing dykes. However, relief and shelter supplies are running low and need to be replenished urgently so that the Chinese Red Cross can respond rapidly to another emergency. Related Links: China - Flash Floods Emergency Appeal Make an Online Donation More on South Asia Floods 21 August 2002 - No relief for China's flood victims 15 August 2002 - China's relentless floods |
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