Human element to disaster

Three days of heavy rain in southern and central China have caused floods that have left 50 people dead, with another 12 missing, and destroyed thousands of homes.

More than 7 million people have been affected in Central China's Hubei province, which has been the area hardest hit.

Such rains are undoubtedly a natural disaster. However, while all available resources have been mobilized for the disaster relief efforts, the lack of precautionary measures reveals the human element that has exacerbated the natural disaster. This also needs to be taken into consideration as part of disaster prevention work.