1931 China floods
The 1931 China floods, or the 1931 Yangtze–Huai River floods, occurred from June to August 1931 in China, hitting major cities such as Wuhan, Nanjing and beyond, and eventually culminated in a dike breach along Lake Gaoyou on 25 August 1931.
Hankou city hall during the 1931 flood | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | July–November 1931 (depending on river) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 422,499–4,000,000 |
| Areas affected | Central and eastern China |
Fatality estimates vary widely. A field survey by the University of Nanking led by John Lossing Buck immediately after the flood found "150,000 people had drowned, and that this number represented less than a quarter of all fatalities during the first 100 days of the flood." The official report found 140,000 drowned and claims that "2 million people died during the flood, having drowned or died from lack of food". A cholera epidemic in the subsequent year, from May 1932, was officially reported to have 31,974 deaths and 100,666 cases. While frequently featured in the list of disasters in China by death toll, a popular high-end estimate of 3.7 to 4.0 million fatalities is instrumental in "helping the 1931 flood to secure its position on sensationalist lists of the world’s deadliest disasters."