The floods in China are a global disaster

Glennbeck.com ^ | July 27, 2020 | Glenn Beck

[Heartlander]

The floods in China are a global disaster

You may not know it if you watch CNN or Fox News, but China is experiencing its worst flooding in over 100 years, and certainly the worst flooding it has experienced in the modern era since the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.

Background

The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest Hydro-electric power station, completed along the Yangtze River basin in 2006, with additional power station construction and spillway added in 2012. The reservoir it creates is more than 410 miles long, and effectively creates the largest man-made reservoir in the history of the world. The Three Gorges Dam system includes the Dam itself, with its reservoir, power plant and boat locks, and then a series of upstream and downstream levees and dams that collectively make up the drainage and additional power generation plants for other towns and cities along the path of the Yangtze. Importantly, the drainage system downstream of the Three Gorges Dam includes both Wuhan and Shanghai, China.

At the time of its Construction, numerous engineers both in China and from around the world expressed concerns that since the focus of the 3 Gorges Dam project was power generation, insufficient attention was being paid toward flood control. The Yangtze is among the largest rivers in the world both by length and by volume, with only the Amazon River and Nile River producing greater volume of flow. The Yangtze and it's tributary system is also among the most flood-prone regions in the world, with historic floods that killed millions of Chinese. In 1931, a 4-month long flood disaster killed 3.7 Million people and displaced another 14 Million. Again in 1935, floods killed 137,000 people and destroyed entire cities, including Wuhan, China. Again in 1952, the Yangtze basin flooded along the Hubei province where Wuhan is located and killed another 33,000 from flooding plus another estimated 400,000 who later died of a plague (likely Swine Flu) that ravaged through after the floodwaters had receded.

Since the completion of the 3 Gorges Dam, the drainage basin of the Yangtze is also one of the largest food and grain production corridors in the world. Fully 20% of the world's supply of Corn, Maze and many fruits and vegetables are grown in the Yangtze flood basin. China is also the world's largest producer of Rice, Wheat, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Peanuts, Tea, Millet, Barley, Cotton, Corn and Soybeans...with the bulk of these food crops grown in the Yangtze flood basin.

It is also the region of China where they ranch for Hogs, Beef, and, importantly Chicken. More than 30% of the world's supply of Chicken and Eggs are farmed in the drainage basin of the Yangtze River, all of this downstream from the 3 Gorges Dam.

Floods

2020 has proven to be one of the worst Asian Monsoon seasons in history. Rain totals are more than 200% above the past 11 year average in China, but they are not alone, with additional massive flooding striking Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and both North and South Korea. But while there have been deaths and dislocations in many places, none are as impacted as the 3 Gorges Dam region of China.

• The reservoir system that makes up the 3 Gorges Dam system passed flood stage some 6 weeks ago, and is now classified by China as a Level 2 (Level 1 being the worst and only reachable in the event the Dam's discharge system fails).
• China has had to destroy more than 2 dozen smaller dams and levees to let floodwaters into the drainage basin - namely, into the farmland, so as to attempt to spare cities downstream from catastrophic flooding.
• Official numbers out of China are difficult to come by, but estimates from the Taiwanese press indicate that as much as 50% of agriculturally developed lands along the Yangtze have endured some form of flooding in 2020. Millions of acres of agricultural land now sit under as much as 9 feet of floodwaters and will produce zero yield in 2020 and perhaps beyond.
• The 3 Gorges Dam itself is also in trouble. It had previously shown signs of 'Settling' and 'Buckling' that the Chinese Government had tried to dismiss as distortions in satellite images due to pixelation, but more recent photos also show further buckling in the key spillway section of the Dam, which is under the greatest pressure now as flood channels are kept wide open to prevent the Dam from being overstepped by floodwaters. Structural Engineers from the King's College in London recently issued a dire warning to the UN that they believe the Dam is on the verge of a catastrophic collapse that could place millions of lives at risk downstream.

Why This Could Be a Global Disaster

First is food security. China is not only the world's largest consumer of food (recall they have a population that is four-times greater than the US), but also the world's largest producer and supplier of food in terms of total output. And the primary food growing region of China is the Yangtze River basin and floodplain. We don't yet know the full extent of the damage to the global food supply from these floods, it's still an ongoing disaster where the focus is currently on saving human lives. But certainly, from the images, we have seen coming out of China, millions of acres of productive food-growing land has been rendered useless for the time being. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of livestock have been killed, including Hogs, Cattle, and Chickens. And hundreds of Warehouse buildings and silos that stored previously grown foods are also destroyed or inundated with water.

Secondly, this disaster comes directly on the heels of and in the same region as the COVID-19 Pandemic. The floodwaters that have now displaced hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of Chinese flow directly through the Hubei Province that was the site of the initial outbreak, including Wuhan City itself. Social distancing will now be impossible for the foreseeable future, and the risk of co-infections of other plagues like influenza are very real. And COVID-19 doesn't care about borders or humanitarian efforts. Any outbreak anywhere is a threat to everywhere else because of how easily the virus can be transmitted. But it is especially dangerous for a major outbreak to occur in China, because the world simply cannot trust the CCP to be forthright about what's happening so as to prevent the spread to other countries.

Third, if the 3 Gorges Dam does collapse, it threatens to kill millions of Chinese people downstream. More than 300 Million people live Downstream of the Yangtze Reservoir. A catastrophic collapse of the Dam, however horrible to consider, may well create the worst humanitarian disaster in world history, one that could completely remake the world economy and geopolitical map for generations to come.

And finally, it's key to note that the Asian Floods of 2020 are not localized to China alone. The existence of the 3 Gorges Dam may indeed make this the greatest risk area, but millions of additional acres of food production is also now offline in more than a dozen countries, and COVID-19 related health-safety measures are necessarily being abandon in the very real fight for basic human survival. It may be some months before we know the full extent of crop and animal production losses, but global food supplies are taking a major loss as we speak...and China's weather service just forecast another 10-12 inches of rain by Sunday this week.

What Should Americans Do?

First, please stay informed. There is so much coverage of COVID-19 here in the US, of Donald Trump, of Black Lives Matter, it can become easy to get lost in the cacophony. Find a news service that is providing good International coverage and do the work to keep yourself and your family informed.

Second, if you have the means (and MOST of us do) consider planting a small garden, even if you have to user planter boxes in a window ledge or UV lighting in a spare bedroom. If you can't physically plant a garden, be sure to do what you can to prepare for food security, with long-term and healthy food supplies. At least some extra canned goods, if not more professionally prepared long-term food storage, freeze-dried foods and meat that you store properly.

Finally, if I may be so bold to suggest that we all take a moment to pray. To thank our God for the blessing that we live here, in America, and to pray for the well-being and comfort to those being so dramatically impacted by the twin disasters now in China...the Natural Disaster that is a once per century Monsoon season, and the manmade disaster that is the Chinese Communist Party and its corruption that magnifies the natural disaster there into what threatens to become a global catastrophe.

[reformedliberal]

As a prepper who believes in a healthy diet, I have experimented with various ways to provide greens in a winter SHTF scenario.

Lettuce and other greens grow quickly. In the Upper Midwest, the South side of a building with a cold frame will provide greens in a few weeks and they can be planted out in February, as soon as you can feel the sun on your back on a mild, windless day.

Farmers will always farm and since greens are so easily produced, they will likely be available for barter.

I tried AeroGrow countertop hydroponic machines. They are a toy, IMO. You can harvest a couple of salads worth of Baby Bok Choy or the like in about 6 weeks if you have power and spend a lot of time keeping the nutrient solution up to par. You can start seeds in rock wool insulation, but you do need the liquid nutrients. I have a machine stashed, but I’m not that reassured by its presence.

I have just moved and we have poor, sandy soils here. I will put in raised beds next Spring, but I’ve gardened enough to know, aside from tomatoes, not to expect much beyond our immediate needs during Summer and fall. However, this soil is good for cukes and I prefer pickling cukes in salads, anyway. A bumper crop of small cucumbers can be fermented (half sour dills)and will keep well over winter. Dill itself is a weed, easily grown and it can be frozen as well as dried.(Beware: it will scent your entire freezer, even in plastic). You will need garlic, pickling spice, Kosher salt and distilled water, as well as canning jars. Instructions are all over the web.

Tomatoes can be easily dehydrated. They will reconstitute come winter and the dried tomatoes take up a lot less room than either canned or frozen sauce. The green ones at the end of the season also do well as fermented pickles.

I’ve done container gardening, too. Cherry tomatoes and mini peppers did well. Full sized fruit suffered from the containers due to the likelihood of inconsistent watering. They are heavy and you can’t always protect them from heavy rains. I’ve used plastic greenhouses and fuchsia shade cloth, both of which helped for different situations, but I still needed to buy produce.

Remember, that crop of greens does well until hot weather and later on in the Fall, but won’t produce in high summer.

I do want to try barrel or trashbag potatoes, but I haven’t done those yet.

My main approach to the need for fresh greens is sprouts. I have several bags of various sprouting seeds in the freezer. I also think microgreens grown on the north side of buildings with shade cloth would be viable. Probably, microgreens could be successful in a small way in an inside South-facing window if protected from the intensity of mid-day sun.

But we will all have more pressing problems if it comes to that. Supplies of Vit. C stashed in a freezer take up little space and would work. Sumac is everywhere in the Upper Midwest and is full of Vit. C. It is an ingredient in Middle Eastern spice mixes, is prolific and can be dried and then stored for winter.

If you have A LOT of milkweed, judiciously harvest the green flower heads, which can be lightly steamed and taste like broccoli. Just let enough fully flower to create seeds for the next season. Again, this is available in the Upper Midwest.

Many of us are already too old for extensive gardening in summer heat or are headed that way, so look for younger people to barter with. No matter what, we are not going to replicate our former life style during times of extreme civil disruption.

[moovova]

Lol...or gold.

[Nifster]

Oh noes 😱😱🤢🤢🤢 We’re all gonna die I mean really? Food insecurity????! With obesity being the biggest health problem in the US??

[Tucker39]

Christ’s return, and the beginning of His Worldwide Millennial Reign will deliver liberty and freedom to China, and to every other nation on the planet. On every square inch of it.

[Secret Agent Man]

i see what you did there

lettig the days go by

[chopperk]

According to some news reports, the Dam has developed a wave. It’s obvious it cannot sustain the water pressures against it. There are pics.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“I tried AeroGrow countertop hydroponic machines. They are a toy, IMO.”

Agreed. I was really excited to find one for cheap - but what a waste of time. I’ll stick with cold frames, learning to use my unheated greenhouse as efficiently as possible, indoor seed starting, growing sprouts and growing in the dirt. (I grow in Zone 4/5 SW Wisconsin.)

Message/Ping me if you want to be added to our Weekly Garden Thread. You’d have a lot to offer the group!

[reformedliberal]

Thanx, Diana!

I was on that list until a few years ago. I just don’t have the stamina any longer to weed in the heat and humidity. It’s such a change from my Vernon County river valley *frost pocket* micro-climate & heavy clay soils to the Adams County flat woodlands and sand. I’m going to need a season or two to understand growing over here. Still zone 4/4a, but it’s really different. We have so many oaks here, I am assuming the soils are acidic, but I don’t really know. I think we’re a bit West of the peatlands.

It isn’t lush, here, that’s for sure, except for trees. Although it’s kind of nice to not actually watch grass grow overnight after a rain. Grass on my property is scant. That’s what you get on the bottom of Glacier Lake Wisconsin.

If my husband makes good on his resolution to build raised beds, I will be asking for advice from those who already do that.

I do lurk occasionally, tho. I miss growing tomatoes. We were selling and triaging 45 years of *stuff* the past few summers, so I didn’t even attempt my usual container tomatoes. Kind of looking forward to cukes and fermentation for next year. Just realized, I could add cabbage for natural kraut, too, once I figure out a small-sized version of a kraut crock.I would need to find space for an old freezer or fridge to convert to a winter storage space for cabbage, I think.

Still getting used to this down-size situation. Not missing all the building cleaning and land maintenance, tho.

[Big Red Badger]

“Seismic” ?
.
the Horror,
the Horror.

[Big Red Badger]

That old adage;
“People are Starving
in China.”

[hinckley buzzard]

Ancient American saying.. “He who laughs last...”

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I added you to our Ping List. Join us when you can.

Also - keep campaigning for the raised beds. They will save you SO much trouble based upon that sandy soil...unless you just want to grow root crops, then You’re Golden, LOL!

I have raised beds now, and had to go to them at my last farm due to Black Walnut Trees.

[Chickensoup]

Not only their future.

Been in a Walmart or target lately?

Why do you think all those shelves are empty?

Fascinating that the MSM are not reporting that shortages and empty shelves.

it is almost like they want to get closer to the election for some reason....

[VeniVidiVici]

Hope all their dams blow. Suck wind China!!!!!

[VeniVidiVici]

I don’t get it. I’ve never bought ANY food produced in China. Why should I be worried?

[Cedar]

“Why do you think all those shelves are empty?”

Recently I read an article saying besides the China/virus/transportation issues, many stores were not sure about recession issues here. They didn’t want to be stuck with lots of inventory during a recession so were keeping very low inventory for now.

[reformedliberal]

Would really appreciate what you’ve learned about raised beds up here in the zone 4 areas.

This property has some decorative plantings around the South and West sides and some started on the East side (just the board edging, no plants), plus a few odd plantings of native spreaders (butterfly plant) here and there along the woodland edges. They have those snap-together rubber edges (which were not all that easy to do back in the clay soils, as the things had to be trenched in deep to keep out grass, but work well over here in the sand country), lots of pretty cedar mulch and the bed soils stay moist. Grass does volunteer in the beds, but it’s not the dense root mass I’m used to, but single blades easy to pull out. I have some volunteer milkweed, which I’m nurturing & Queen Anne’s Lace. Thinking of putting in some thyme for ground cover in some areas outside the decorative beds.

So, I infer that 4 foot square beds won’t be that hard to set up and won’t need to be set all that deep.

We will have a problem with the scrub oak. They just pop up everywhere and have interconnected roots and can form very invasive mats of bushy oak on wiry stems that are difficult to get rid of. This is all reclaimed woodland, so no one ever tried to keep the scrub oak in check.

On the plus side, I haven’t even seen a nettle over here. Or, come to think of it, a bull thistle. Some yucca, here and there, but no goat beard (which I like) and no elderberry (sob).

Watering? The native *soil* is so porous, the stuff is dry within hours of a drenching rain. But the decorative beds are almost too wet. Would appreciate some insight on drainage and drip setups. The real farmers over here even irrigate row crops, although most seem to concentrate on hay and veggies (not sure what-all, as I’ve just seen it driving past, but I think there may be a lot of broccoli & other cabbage family varieties).

Good point on root veggies. Maybe I will try carrots along with cukes? Not sure of mineral amendments for carrots. I gave up on them in the wet clay. They were deformed unless the soil was tilled within an inch of its life. Clay also can hold so much water for so long, things just rot without a lot of sand tilled in. I had years when some areas at the base of low rises/slopes became like jello. Scary.

It’s sort of nice to have some flat and rolling land, for a change.

Anyway: any tips on raised beds appreciated. I am a tomato lover, so that’s a good place to start. I’d love to not battle BER every summer. Also, we’re old, so anything that cuts the weeding down is appreciated. Maybe I’m in for a pleasant surprise and there won’t be a lot of volunteers?

Feel free to cross post this post into the next Gardening thread for answers.

[Fledermaus]

At this point in time I don’t give a crap.

Karma is a bitch.

[Fledermaus]

Not as much as you think.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

I honestly PRAY this forces our businesses home!!