Preparing for disasters

We can deal with possible upcoming floods if we take proper measures now, says an article in Beijing News. The following is an excerpt:

The director of Hubei provincial water resources bureau recently predicted that this year will be a tough one for flood control and we should especially guard against the catastrophic floods that occurred in 1998.

Water experts point out that in 1860, a severe flood struck the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River and similar floods hit the Yangtze 10 years before and after that. This year will be 10 years after 1998 and we should be on the alert to deal with the "decade cycle" of floods occurring in the Yangtze River.