Sitting under the shade of a street-side tea stall with the electric fan humming, I overheard the next table talking about the disaster numbers for the first eight months of the year, and my heart sank a bit. According to the National Committee for Disaster Management, from January through August, the country has recorded 9,777 disasters of all sizes, leaving over 200 people dead or injured and more than 8,000 houses damaged.
Looking closer at the breakdown, fires still make up the majority. Over the past eight months, there were more than 500 fires, with market stalls, warehouses, and even factories unable to escape the flames. Combined, the dead and injured from fires alone topped 80 people. On top of that, wild storms swept through, blowing off countless roofs and hitting schools and offices as well. Most frightening of all is the lightning: this year, lightning strikes have killed more than 50 people, and even struck and killed over 60 cattle grazing in the fields.
Local officials note that compared to the first eight months of last year, both the total number of disasters and the number of affected homes are actually up slightly. Neighbors sitting together under the eaves just shook their heads as they listened. With all these natural and man-made disasters, life really calls for caution at every step—you never know what kind of trouble might hit next.
