China’s Not-so-happy New Year

In one of the biggest annual movements of humanity, about 200 million Chinese make roughly 2.2 billion trips over the Lunar New Year holiday. This year, Jack Frost made a guest appearance, causing massive travel delays, damaging key infrastructure, and disrupting coal shipments to power plants. China Vs US, from the Foreign Policy:

How does China’s winter disaster stack up against Hurricane Katrina? Here’s a look:

China
Fatalities 60
Damage $7.5 billion
Evacuees 1.7 million
Homes damaged or destroyed Over 1 million
Official visits PM Wen Jiabao to Guangzhou
Industries affected coal
Power supply 17 of 31 provinces in brownouts
Troops Deployed 500,000 soldiers, 1.6 million paramilitary

America
Fatalities 1,353
Damage $96 billio
Evacuees 1.1 million
Homes damaged or destroyed 300,000
Official visits Bush to New Orleans
Industries affected oil & gas
Power supply 2.5 million without power
Troops Deployed 50,000 National Guard Troops

Photos: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images; ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Related article: Chief meteorologist admits China ‘unprepared’ for snow crisis