Food Urgently Needed for Snowstorm Victims in Xinjiang
by Angel Sung - Communications Officer

CHINA (Xinjiang), March 13, 2001. Families in Xinjiang are struggling to recover from severe snowstorms that buffeted the province for three months from last October. The snowstorms are the worst since 1954, with over 970,000 people and 10 million livestock affected, says the Xinjiang Civil Affairs Department.

An assessment by World Vision’s Relief Team to the two hardest-hit counties, Qinghe and Fuyun in Altay Prefecture in late February found that food is urgently needed.

The exceptionally deep coverage of snow on both the plateaus and mountains has caused a drastic drop in temperature - down to minus 45 and 42 degrees Celsius in Qinghe and Fuyun Counties respectively.

However as temperatures drop and families have a greater need of food for energy and warmth, the food shortage is growing more acute in the two counties.

“As the victims have been suffering from drought for the previous years, the snowstorms have further worsened the situation. No more food is left at home now,” said Victor Kan, Relief Coordinator of World Vision China Office.

Livestock are also seriously threatened, with the snow this season falling heavily a month earlier than usual, making grazing has been impossible. Herders are now feeding their animals with their rapidly depleting fodder stock. Some are even sacrificing their own food in order to keep their flock alive.

An 85-year-old herdsman named Lawulerezihan is a case in point. The Relief Team met Lawulerezihan walking with his 300 sheep to the snow-buried pasture. It was minus 27 degrees Celsius.

“The sheep have already finished up our own food, and have been crammed in the shed in hunger for a long time," he says. "Now, they have started tearing up each other due to the lack of food and space. So, I need to take them out here for a walk.”

“At my age, I should have asked my children to do it for me, but it is not safe - especially when it is covered with thick snow, and, they are not experienced enough to save the sheep if they fall into holes or thick snow. Well, if the situation remains unchanged, the sheep will die,” Lawulerezihan sighs deeply.

The heavy snow has buried the roads and made transportation and relief work very difficult. There are only two tractors in the area and when the tractors cannot function, the locals use their horses and ploughs to open up the road.

“If the snow melts before the sowing period, which is around April or May, the victims will be able to sow and reap their next harvest in September. Then, the food shortage will only last for about six months from now. But we should also take notice that if the snow melts too fast, flooding might follow,” Victor warned.

The Relief Team will pay its next visit to the disaster-stricken areas in Xinjiang in late March to start the relief operation.