Excessive rainfall over central China in July and August of 1931 triggered the most deadly natural disaster in world history — the Central China floods of 1931. The Yangtze River overtopped its banks as spring snowmelt mingled with the over 24 inches (600 millimeters) of rain that fell during...
Hundreds of thousands more were left homeless in the dead of winter. Survivors built temporary refugee camps, where thousands died of exposure and malnutrition. Numerous rivers were dammed by landslides and others changed course, causing major floods. At the time, it was the deadliest earthquake ...