A crowd of 270,000 people…ice floods threaten the Yellow River in China

The Yellow River Affairs Directorate in Shandong Province in eastern China announced that the lower reaches of the river, which is the second longest river in China, have entered one of the glacial flood seasons, with local residents preparing for possible floods.
Chen Honghao, from the district’s protection office, confirmed that they have conducted inspections of potential danger points including infrastructure such as floating bridges along the river, and have instructed relevant units to take emergency response measures.
According to Xinhua, more than 270,000 people have been mobilized to contribute to anti-ice activities, while 8 rescue teams with a total of 680 personnel, as well as two ice blasting groups, are preparing to intervene in emergency situations, and local governments have set up 85 teams to closely monitor the situation.

Glacier floods in China

Ice floods are a common phenomenon on the Yellow River that occurs in early winter and spring, as temperature changes lead to freezing and thawing, and these ice flows can destroy or submerge river banks and structures.
The Yellow River, with a length of 5,464 km, originates in Qinghai Province in northwestern China and flows through Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan, before passing through Shandong in eastern China and emptying into the Bohai Sea.