![]() Hankou city hall during the 1931 flood | |
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Duration | July–November 1931 (depending on river) |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 422,499–4,000,000[1] |
Areas affected | Central and eastern China |
The 1931 China floods, or the 1931 Yangtze–Huai River floods, was a devastating flood that 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.
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."[2] The official report found 140,000 drowned[3] and claims that "2 million people died during the flood, having drowned or died from lack of food".[4] A cholera epidemic in the subsequent year, from May 1932, was officially reported to have 31,974 deaths and 100,666 cases.[5]