China promises $1.25 B in storm aid

by Jarrett Martineau | February 14, 2008 at 08:50 pm

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China's billion dollar aid commitment will not cover the estimated $15.5 billion in damages caused by the severe weather that has swept across the country, however, it should help to provide immediate assistance to those most in need.

China will spend more than $1.25 billion to rebuild wrecked houses, restore farms and help the poor pay for food and heat in areas where snowstorms killed at least 107 people, the government said Thursday.

Snowstorms that began Jan. 10 killed at least 107 people, wrecked crops and houses and ripped down power lines. Trucking and rail transport were disrupted, causing shortages of fresh meat and vegetables in some areas and pushing up prices.

The economic impact was unusually severe because snowstorms blanketed a wide area of China's temperate south, which usually gets little snow and has few preparations for severe weather.

The storms killed 69 million farm animals, damaged 3.2 million acres of vegetable, orange and other crops, and caused 354,000 houses to collapse, the officials said.

Damage is estimated at 111.1 billion yuan, or $15.5 billion, according to the Civil Affairs Ministry.