SHANGHAI (CHINA) – Red alerts were declared in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and the provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang on Friday with heavy rain threatening to flood rivers and lakes.
It was in Wuhan, on the banks of the Yangtze river where coronavirus emerged late last year. Residents were asked to take precautions as water levels approached their maximum guaranteed safety level.
The Poyang lake in Jiangxi province is 2.5 metres higher than its warning level, which saw expansion by more than 2,000 square kilometres during this flood season. Parts of the surrounding town have been inundated.
Heading to the east, the Tai lake near Shanghai has also declared a red alert. Almost every year, the summer rainy season leads to floods in China. The Chinese goods become more important during the time through the supply of items such as personal protective equipment (PPE).
Michael Einhorn, president of Dealmed, a U.S. medical supply distributor, which sources disposable lab coats and other products from Wuhan and nearby regions, said, “It’s just creating another major roadblock here in terms of PPE getting into the United States – it is the worst of times for it to happen but that’s what we’re dealing with right now.”
He added, “We cannot get product out for over a week, which is a very long time in our business.”
Construction, steel and cement demand, continue to be affected by the flooding, analysts say.
“We estimate recent floods in Yangtze River regions could lead to a gross drag of 0.4-0.8 percentage points on third-quarter GDP growth,” analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a note to clients on Friday.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.