Natural catastrophes have claimed the lives of 1528 people in 2009

Natural catastrophes have hit China hard in 2009 causing the death of 1 528 people and more than 37 billion USD of damages. Natural events have affected a total of 480 million Chinese and obliged the authorities to evacuate 7 million persons. The harsh wintery conditions and the droughts have partially or totally destroyed approximately 50 million hectares of farmland.