Try new methods to reduce impact of floods

Vital to guard against secondary disasters

Fan Xiao, a senior engineer with the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau of Regional Geological Survey Team

Of the 44 people declared dead or missing in Ningxiang, at least nine perished in a mudslide triggered by a heavy downpour on July 1. According to one witness, the mudslide was so sudden that it buried her neighbor's house before the occupant could escape.

Such cases remind us to be on guard against secondary disasters, that is, those triggered by heavy rainfall. Typical secondary disasters include landslides, mudslides and random house and bridge collapse.

It is almost impossible to prevent secondary disasters during heavy downpours. But to minimize their impacts, it is imperative that local governments take precautionary measures. On July 2, despite the rain-triggered massive mudslides in two mountainside villages in Yongzhou, Hunan province, about 2,400 residents were safely evacuated from the villages thanks to the precautionary measures taken by the local governments. It is advisable that all regions that receive heavy rainfall follow the example of the two villages.

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