The 1931 Huang He floods (Yellow River Floods) are generally thought to be the deadliest natural disaster of historic times, and almost certainly of the twentieth century (when pandemics are discounted). Estimates of the number of people killed range from 850,000 to 4,000,000. Deaths caused by the flooding include but not limited to drowning, disease, ensuing famines and droughts. A natural disaster is the consequence or effect of a hazardous event, occurring when human activities and natural phenomenon (a physical event, such as a volcanic eruption, earthquake, landslide etc. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... This article is about outbreaks of disease. ...

The Huang He or Yellow River has been prone to flooding due to the broad expanse of almost flat land around it. The 1887 Huang He floods had devastated the area, killing 900,000-2,000,000. For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ...

Later in the same month, the Yangtze also flooded. Length 6,380 km Elevation of the source  ? m Average discharge 31,900 m³/s Area watershed 1,800,000 km² Origin Qinghai Province and Tibet Mouth East China Sea Basin countries China The Yangtze River (Chinese: 扬子江; pinyin: ) is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the...

1931 was the last natural flood of the river of this severity. In 1933, around 18,000 people were killed by less devastating, but still widespread flooding, while the 1938 flood was caused by Nationalists deliberately damaging levees in an attempt to disrupt Japanese advances. 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A levee, levée (from the feminine past participle of the French verb lever, to raise), floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial embankment or dike, usually earthen, which parallels the course of a river. ...