2021 Henan floods facts for kids

In July 2021, Henan Province in China faced severe floods. This happened because of very heavy rainfall. On July 20, Zhengzhou, the capital city, had a record-breaking amount of rain. It rained 201.9 millimetres (7.95 in) in just one hour. This was the most rain recorded in an hour since 1951.

Sadly, 398 people died or went missing because of these floods. The floods also forced about 815,000 people to leave their homes. About 14.5 million people across the province were affected. Experts believe that climate change made these floods much worse.

What Caused the Floods?

Map of the floods in Henan Province.

Several things caused the unusual and strong floods in Henan. A large area of high air pressure over the western Pacific Ocean played a role. Another high-pressure area near the Sea of Japan also contributed. These systems pushed a lot of moisture into the province.

Also, the winds high up in the sky were very weak. This is normal for summer in that area. But it meant the storm barely moved, staying over Henan for a long time. This caused continuous heavy rain.

Small, intense storm systems called mesoscale convections kept forming over Zhengzhou. These caused very strong thunderstorms. The China Meteorological Administration said two main things caused the storm. One was Typhoon In-fa, even though it was far away. The other was a continuous area of high pressure that brought a lot of water vapor to the land. This high pressure was pushed up by mountains like the Taihang Mountains. This caused even more rain to fall, known as relief rain.

How the Floods Affected People

These images from NASA's Aqua satellite show how much the flooding spread. The top image is from July 20, 2021.

Between July 19 and July 20, 2021, many parts of Henan Province got a huge amount of rain. Some areas like Songshan received over 364 millimeters (14 inches) of rain. Zhengzhou had extremely heavy rain on July 20, especially between 4 PM and 5 PM. The 201.9 mm (7.95 in) of rain in one hour caused serious flooding. Thirteen reservoirs in Henan became so full they reached their flood control limits.

Zhengzhou City Flooding

Heavy rain started in Zhengzhou on July 16, 2021. On July 20 alone, the city received an average of 253 mm (10.0 in) of rain. In just three days, from July 17 to July 20, 617.1 mm (24.30 in) of rain fell. This is almost as much rain as the city usually gets in a whole year!

Videos showed cars floating in the streets. Passengers on Zhengzhou Metro Line 5 were stuck in their train with water up to their waists. The Jingguang North Road Tunnel filled with water, trapping over 200 cars. The city quickly issued its highest warning for rainstorms. This showed how serious the situation was. The amount of rain broke records that had stood for 60 years. The flooding made people wonder if Zhengzhou's drainage system was good enough.

The floods in Zhengzhou caused 398 people to die or go missing. Over 400,000 cars in Zhengzhou were damaged. This led to a lot of money being paid out by insurance companies.

Xinxiang City Flooding

Xinxiang received the most rain in the province. It got over 260 mm (10 in) of rain in 24 hours. Main roads like Xinzhong Avenue were flooded. The road connecting Xinxiang and Weihui became impossible to use. The worst-hit area was Muye District, which is partly rural. Even four days after the heavy rains, some rural areas could not be reached. This was because access roads were still flooded. By July 26, the floods reached Weihui. Over a thousand people had to be moved from a hospital there. A total of 204,000 people were moved to safety in Weihui.

Instead of the Yellow River flooding, which has happened in the past, the Communism Canal [zh] and Wei River caused most of the flooding.

Kaifeng City Flooding

On the evening of July 19, Kaifeng also had heavy rainfall. By the next morning, the rain became torrential. Kaifeng issued a red rainstorm warning. This was later changed to an orange warning on the afternoon of July 20.

Other Areas in Henan

Other parts of Henan also reported heavy flooding. The Ying River, the biggest river in the province, overflowed. This caused floods in the areas around it. In Dengfeng, an aluminum factory exploded due to the floods, but no one was hurt. The military was sent to protect the Yihetan Dam. In Hebi, the Wei River flooded several villages.

People Affected

In total, 398 people died or went missing because of the floods. Fourteen people died when Zhengzhou Metro's Line 5 flooded on July 20. Six bodies were found in the flooded Jingguang North Tunnel. In Gongyi, four people died. More than 20,000 people had to leave their homes because of the floodwaters.

What Happened After the Floods

People mourning for the victims at Shakoulu Station, Line 5.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang asked for full effort in rescue and relief work. He said that keeping people safe was the most important thing. Local officials were told to make the province's flood controls better. They also needed to improve emergency preparedness. Many leaders in China and other countries sent their sympathies for the lives lost.

Many Chinese companies donated money to help with disaster relief. People also donated through online platforms like Alipay and Weibo. The Henan Charity Federation reported that a lot of money was raised to help those affected.

All bus lines in Zhengzhou became free from July 28 to August 28, 2021. This helped reduce traffic jams. It also helped people get around since some metro lines were closed.

An official investigation into the Zhengzhou flood was released in January 2022. It found that some officials had not reported all the deaths from the flooding. The total number of deaths was then updated to 398. Many officials were disciplined for their actions.

See also

• List of floods
• 2021 China floods