First came the great winter storm of 2008, then the devastating Wenchuan earthquake, whose official death toll now stands at nearly 70,000. Now China is coping with its third major natural disaster of the year as heavy rains and floods batter the country's south.

Continuing heavy rains in Yunnan and across southern China since June 6 have led to 57 deaths and 1.27 million people fleeing their homes, with more rain expected throughout the region over the coming days. According to Xinhua reports more than 17 million people have been affected by the flooding with more than 10.6 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion) in damage incurred so far.

The rains have led to the swelling of rivers in China's south, with key manufacturing province Guangdong experiencing its worst flooding in 50 years. On Monday, Guangdong's provincial flood control bureau ordered local governments in Guangzhou and eight other cities to reinforce river embankments and make evacuation preparations.

Although damage in Yunnan has been relatively light compared to Guangdong and other lower-lying areas including Jiangxi, Guizhou and Hunan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, rains here are a major concern as many of the flooding rivers – including Guangdong's Pearl River – have their headwaters in Yunnan.

China's National Meteorological Center is forecasting more rains in southern parts of the country - including Yunnan - over the next few days.

Image: Xinhua

Tags: flooding, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guangzhou, Guizhou, Hunan, Pearl River, Wenchuan earthquake, winter storm

Tuesday more than 20,000 travelers finally left the Kunming train station after spending hours and some even days waiting for their trains to leave for other cities in China, according to Kunming media reports. The travelers had begun to accumulate at the train station over the 27th and 28th as dozens of train lines were delayed by the winter storm that has battered central and southern China.

The Kunming Ministry of Railways has decided to restart selling tickets today for seats on train K472 leaving for Beijing West Station tomorrow.

The ministry announced that it has also decided to temporarily stop ticket sales for trains leaving Kunming on February 3 for Beijing (Train T62), Beijing West Station (K472), Shanghai (K80 and K182), Shanghai South Station (L496), Wuchang (K110), Nanjing West Station (K156), Zhengzhou (K338), Chongqing (K160 and K168) and Neijiang (L748).

Queries about train ticket sales, delays and cancellations can be directed to a special hotline recently set up to deal with the havoc caused by the winter storm: (0871) 6122122.

Image: railcn.net

Tags: trains, travel, winter storm

Diqing prefecture in northwest Yunnan has continued to be hit by heavy snowfalls, with the town of Shangri-la (Zhongdian) receiving 35 centimeters of snow since January 19. The winter storm has shut down much of the area and is causing serious damage to the area's economy and infrastructure.

Transportation and tourism have been affected, with the airport at Shangri-la and tourist spots in the area temporarily closed. The highway linking the city of Shangri-la and Kunming is still operational, but numerous roads throughout Diqing have been shut down by the blizzard.

According to initial government estimates cited in Kunming media reports about 100,000 people have been hit by the winter storm, which is estimated at having caused 75 million yuan in damage to the area.

More than 50 million yuan of the damage was agricultural, with more than 20,000 tons of grain destroyed and 4,600 head of livestock dead. Diqing's power and communications networks have also been hit hard by the blizzard with 12 power transmission lines out of operation and more than 500 power line poles down.

Image: Clzg.cn

Tags: Diqing, Shangri-la, winter storm

The Kunming Daily is reporting that the winter weather wreaking havoc upon the transportation networks in central and southern China has left nearly 8,000 Chinese New Year travelers held up in Kunming, just days into a holiday season that was expected to see 22 million travelers pass through Chinese airports and 179 million travelers riding the country's trains.

Kunming Wujiaba International Airport was reporting 21 delayed flights and more than 2,000 travelers stuck in limbo on Sunday due to inclement weather at airports in Changsha, Tianjin, Sanya, Wenzhou, Hefei, Nanjing, Qingdao and other airports stretching from the Bohai Bay down to the South China Sea, according to Kunming media reports. Kunming Airport is reportedly scrambling to make food and lodging arrangements for the stranded travelers.

Rail travel in and out of Kunming has also been affected by the extreme weather, with the city's railway station announcing that in the coming few days, train departures and arrivals could be delayed by the resurgence of winter in much of the country. A hotline has been set up to deal with Kunming-related rail travel queries: (0871) 6122122.

Road transport in and around Yunnan province has also been affected. Buses between Kunming and Diqing prefecture - located near the Yunnan-Tibet border - have been delayed indefinitely as snow continues to fall upon Diqing. Passenger bus service leading from Yunnan northeastward toward Guizhou has also been suspended due to extreme weather in the province, which neighbors Yunnan.

Virtually all of China is feeling the impact of the winter weather upon the central and southern regions as many connecting flights located in affected areas have been delayed. Major trunk rail lines and highways in other less-affected areas are also feeling the strain of the bad weather far away – on Sunday Guangzhou's rail station was reporting more than 100,000 stranded travelers, with that number expected to increase.

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Tags: Chinese New Year, Diqing, trains, travel, winter storm

After more than 50 hours of heavy snow, the weather in Diqing Prefecture began to clear yesterday and the snow along the roadside of Shangri-la has begun to melt. Since the opening of the two main roads to Deqin County on Saturday, most of the more than 100 trapped tourists who were scattered throughout different scenic spots since last week have been transferred to the town with the help of the local government. Deqin is located in northwest Diqing, near the border with Tibet.

The heavy snow that covered the greater part of Diqing began falling last Wednesday, with more than 50 centimeters covering roads and everything else, leading to a transportation shutdown. Mudslides and other problems have plagued National Highway 214 and much of the region has been without electricity. So far no casualties have been reported in the area and electricity has been restored to most of the region, according to government reports.

The Deqin and Dewei segments of National Highway 214 have been restored to one-way operation and the local government is busy repairing and restoring much of the road and surrounding roads.

At the moment, the Deqin government is focusing on restoring access to the road linking Deqin to the Meili Snow Mountain Xidang Village scenic area. The blocked road has left a team of mountain climbers from Shanghai trapped since last week.

Tags: Deqin, Diqing, Shangri-la, winter storm