Illustration by John Provencher for Bloomberg Green
Can China Shield the Biggest Uninsured Economy From Floods?
Authorities are taking out citywide insurance policies to protect tens of millions of people from increasingly violent weather, but the program risks leaving many with inadequate coverage.
The rivers and canals that meander through Hemudu in southeastern China are a vital source of life and community — they provide income for fishermen, an after-school hangout spot for kids, and define the town’s landscape. But when it rains, those waterways become a liability.
“This area floods every year,” says Zheng, a long-time resident who lives less than a mile away from a river. Over the past decade and a half, Zheng has seen floodwater repeatedly threaten the ground-floor grocery store that he runs and his home above. But with his income “barely enough to make ends meet” and a grandson to look after, the 60-year-old says relocation isn’t an option.