ABSTRACT
Rains are expected in the early months of spring in central China, but the days of dark skies and rain that began in the winter of 1931 through the warm months of mid-summer must have seemed endless. Floods too were to be expected during the rainy season. In a region known for devastating floods, the 1931 flood was called the greatest disaster to visit China. The first plenary session of the commission was held on September 9. T. V. Soong urged the commission to turn its attention to the most immediate problem—financing. As head of the Finance Department and in his role as Minister of Finance, Soong began negotiations with American representatives to purchase a large amount of American wheat. The Executive Yuan ordered the creation of the National Flood Relief Commission on August 14 to handle “matters such as emergency relief, rehabilitation and constructive measures to prevent recurrence of such calamities in future".
