SOME 5,000 people were rescued from flood-hit areas along North Korea’s border with China over the weekend in an effort overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Monday.
North Korea’s military launched an emergency operation in North Pyongan province as the region was hit by flooding after heavy rains that left 5,000 people “isolated” and in danger, according to state media KCNA.
Water levels in the Amnok River, or Yalu River in Chinese, which forms part of the border between North Korea and China, had “far exceeded the danger line” due to record rain on Saturday, KCNA reported, noting Kim’s assessment that flooding in Sinuiju City, which faces the Chinese city of Dandong, was “very serious.”
Kim, seen in images published by state media walking at an air base handling rescue operations and riding an SUV through floodwaters, was described as “inspecting and directing” the efforts and criticizing authorities for failing to properly prepare for and prevent disasters.
The dictator’s presence at the site indicated the importance of the floods, and his desire to be seen at the forefront of responding to what he called “catastrophic abnormal weather.”
It comes as governments across Asia grapple with the devastation and economic losses caused by extreme weather that scientists say is becoming more frequent due to human-driven climate change.
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Heavy rain and flooding have hit much of Asia in recent days as a massive storm system swept through the region. Typhoon Gaemi caused widespread flooding in parts of the Philippines and then Taiwan last week, before making landfall in China’s Fujian province late Thursday and then decreasing in intensity.
Behind it, parts of coastal and central China have experienced significant flooding in recent days with heavy rain moving north over the weekend, extending an already devastating period of extreme weather across the country, where the flood season usually starts two months early.
At least 15 people were killed in a landslide triggered by rain in central China’s Hunan Province, Chinese state media Xinhua said Sunday.
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Southeast China, a major food-producing region that is traditionally less affected by frequent flooding, is also struggling with heavy rains.
In China’s Liaoning province, which borders North Korea’s North Pyongan, more than 45,000 people were evacuated from their homes early Sunday as heavy rains pounded the region, according to Xinhua.
Hundreds of chemical and mining companies across the province also halted operations over the weekend and relocated to avoid flood risks, Xinhua said.
Southwest Liaoning remained under an orange rainstorm warning for heavy to heavy rain until Tuesday afternoon, according to Chinese weather authorities. (CNN/Z-3)
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