When we talk about the Yellow River flood, we're really talking about a series of three catastrophic events that struck in 1887, 1931, and 1938. Taken together, these disasters claimed the lives of approximately two million people and displaced a staggering 80 million families. The initial deluge struck on September 28, 1887, killing between 1 to 2 million people.
Of the three, the August 1931 flood proved to be the most devastating by far. Floodwaters engulfed a total of 42,000 square miles — with 34,000 square miles completely inundated and another 8000 square miles partially submerged beneath the waters.
Fun Facts
- Stretching an impressive 3,395 miles (5,464 kilometers), the Yellow River holds the distinction of being the longest river in China.
- The river owes its distinctive name to the yellow sediments it picks up as it flows through the surrounding regions.
- In the aftermath of the Yellow River flood, China launched a dedicated flood control program, and since 1945, no flood of comparable magnitude has occurred.
- The sheer devastation wrought by its floods led Westerners to give the Yellow River a grim nickname: "China's sorrow."
- Over the course of four millennia, the Yellow River has flooded an astonishing 1593 times.
- Prior to the 1887 flood, the Yellow River sat more than 23 meters above the surrounding region; once its banks gave way, the resulting damage was insurmountable.