Serials of Unfortunate Event in China

Chinese forecasters have warned that the Yellow River, the nation's second longest, may suffer serious flooding as the south endures some of its worst storms and floods for decades. Already reeling from a devastating earthquake, China has suffered floods across its south in recent days that have killed 57 people and forced 1.27 million to move to safer ground. A fresh swathe of heavy rain likely in the next few days will increase the destructiveness of flood hazards and make the flood prevention and relief situation nationwide even more serious.

Forecasters have warned that in coming days, fresh storms could lash parts of the Yangtze River delta region near Shanghai, and provinces across the east, south and southwest. Storms also recently brought havoc to Hong Kong, where they sparked flooding and landslides and resulted in closed roads and delayed flights. The flooding and foul weather is the latest in a string of disasters to befall China this year.

The National Meteorological Authority has also warned rains were expected to further pound southern China in the coming days, with rising river levels threatening towns in Jiangxi, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces. Prosperous Guangdong province was the worst affected. Rains there left at least 20 people dead, with flooding in the Pearl River delta the worst in decades. The Guangdong government issued an emergency flood alert throughout the province as levels in tributaries of the Pearl River hit or were surpassing danger levels.

Food prices, already a main driver of inflation in China, were also rising due to the flooding, with vegetable prices in some Guangdong cities up between 30 percent and 70 percent on Saturday alone. The same provinces were also badly hit by freak cold weather and ice storms in January and February, and parts of the country's southwest province of Sichuan were devastated by a May 12 quake that killed more than 69,000 people.