China enhances rescue and relief efforts in flood-stricken regions

Firefighters transfer rocks to block floods near Dawan Village of Dong'an District, Mudanjiang, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Aug. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has dispatched 10 teams to help the rescue and relief work in flood-hit regions in north and northeast China, according to an official meeting on Saturday.

The meeting was held by the office of the headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management, joined by China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Natural Resources and provincial-level flood control offices.

The meeting analyzed the situation of flood and geological disasters in north and northeast China, as well as the Typhoon Khanun, and arranged rescue and relief work in key regions.

The 10 working teams are assisting local authorities in flood control and rescue in Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, Jilin and Heilongjiang, the office of the headquarters said.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has also assigned professional rescue teams to the worst-affected areas.

Also, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters maintained the Level-II emergency response in Tianjin and Hebei, and Level-III in Beijing, Jilin and Heilongjiang.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.