13 AUGUST 1998. CHINA:
FLOODS CNN reports the crest of the Yangtze River successfully passed an
area where officials had planned to open dikes, to spread the water out
and save cities downstream. This was the fifth flood of the summer and
came within less than a foot of the level where the dikes would have had
to be opened. The worst flooding in 44 years. The flood has killed over
2,000 people and left millions, and caused outbreaks of dysentery, cholera
and typhoid that threaten the survivors. Damage could total more than $24
billion, reducing China's growth rate by 0.5%.
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1997 El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO 97-98)