90 Die in Southern China Floods

Massive flooding in southern China has now claimed 90 lives and forced 1.4 million people to evacuate their homes, with more heavy storms on the way. China’s rainy season, which began in May, has caused dozens of rivers to overflow, deadly landslides, and widespread power outages across the country’s southern provinces. The total number for people hit by the floods, including injuries and property losses, has crept upwards of 5.5 million. Yet, only a few months ago, the region was crippled by the worst drought in a century, which affected 61 million people. According to the China Daily, nine local officials have already been punished for dereliction of duty in flood work—one reservoir monitor was caught playing poker on the job.