A Study On The Great Flood In Hunan Province In 1931 And Its Relief

More than 60 counties suffered from floods,which caused heavy losses in Hunan Province in 1931.This was not only related to natural factors such as geology,geomorphology and climate in Hunan Province,but also to the social and historical environment at the time.The Central Relief Committee of the Permanent Relief Organ of the National Government began to plan and implement the relief work after the flood.Its relief work mainly focused on the investigation of the disaster situation and the release of emergency relief in Hunan Province.Later,due to the limitations of the Central Committee for Relief in this national flood relief,the National Government set up the Committee for Flood Relief to take full responsibility for the relief work.Zhu Qinglan,director of the disaster relief working group,came to Hunan to investigate the disaster situation and set up an office of the Emergency Relief Commissioner of Changsha District to deal with emergency relief in Hunan Province after the establishment of the Committee for Flood Relief.The Committee for Flood Relief also set up work relief offices in Hunan Province,dividing Changsha into thetenth district,and organizing the work relief Bureau of the tenth district,which was specially responsible for work relief in 11 counties around Dongting Lake.However,due to the special situation in Hunan Province,the work relief was finally transferred to the Hunan Provincial Flood Recovery Committee and handled in the form of loans.In addition,the work of the Committee for Flood Relief in Hunan Province was also handed over to the Hunan Provincial Flood Recovery Committee.What's more,the health and epidemic prevention group sent Chen Wanli and Pan Taibian to organize a visiting medical team in Hunan Province,and jointly with the office of the health and epidemic prevention group in WuHan to take charge of the health and epidemic prevention work in the disaster-stricken areas of Hunan Province.The Hunan Provincial Government devoted all its efforts to disaster relief.Besides taking a series of measures in disaster resistance,disaster reduction and disaster prevention,it also established special flood relief agencies,such as the Hunan Flood Relief Commission and the Hunan Flood Recovery Commission.Although the National Government relieved the flood in Hunan to a considerable extent,it didn't do enough.Many of its relief work in Hunan Province handed over to HunanProvince itself.Therefore,the flood relief in Hunan Province achieved great success,and the Hunan Provincial Government played a decisive role.Of course,the flood relief in Hunan achieved tremendous results,and social forces also played an important role.Some non-governmental organizations actively mobilized people for disaster relief,publicized the disaster situation,raised huge sums of money and dealt with agricultural relief,such as Hunan Disaster Relief Association,Hunan Branch of Huayang Relief Association and Provincial Agricultural Society.Newspapers and media also devoted themselves to disaster relief in Hunan,reporting the disaster situation in time,and urging and supervising the government's relief to the disaster in Hunan.Finally,the author has a profound reflection on the whole process of disaster relief in Hunan.Although the relief in Hunan achieved great results,there were still some problems in the process of relief.By summing up the experience and lessons of this disaster relief in Hunan,the author hopes to provide a reference for future social relief,and hope that all sectors of society can find a new way on the road of disaster relief in the future.