Weather conditions in southern China will remain severe and
relief work a difficult task, Chinese leaders warned the nation on
Sunday when disaster-hit areas reported mixture of good and bad
news.
The warning came after a meeting of the Standing Committee of
the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of China (CPC)?held in Beijing?on Sunday. It was
chaired by President Hu Jintao and studied the current relief
work.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao inspects the Xiangtan Power Plant, the
largest heat power plant in central China's Hunan Province, Feb. 2,
2008. (Xinhua Photo)
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, one of the nine members, has just
concluded his second visit in a week to central Hunan Province
which was worst hit by the unusual winter weather.
Wen's last stop, Chenzhou City, is still suffering blackout and
lack of tap water due to failure of utility facilities caused by
heavy snow.
Wen paid home visits to local residents during his stay there
Saturday afternoon.
Xie Yunqing, one of the 4 million city residents, received the
Premier at her house which had been short of electricity for ten
days.?
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao waves to truck drivers who were stranded
by the severe snowstorm and frost on an expressway near Chenzhou of
central China's Hunan Province, Feb. 2, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
She told Wen that the local government has sent battery-powered
lamps and foods.
"Please be patient. The situation will be better in a few days
as the government is going all out to help you. Technicians rushed
here from across the country to help fix the power transmission
facilities," Wen said.
The Premier asked local authorities to "act now, don't
wait."
Leadership Warning
"We have to be clear minded that certain regions in the south
will continue to undergo icy weather caused by rain and snow and
severe disasters will continue," said a statement issued after the
meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the
CPC Central Committee.
The worst winter disaster in five decades had sacked 19 out of
31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in the Chinese
mainland. By Friday, more than 60 people were killed in winter
storm and nearly 1.76 million relocated in the past two weeks but
the latest casualty figure are not available so far.
"Relief work will remain very grim, posing a tough task on us,"
the statement added.
Premier Wen said during his visit in Hunan, "We have the faith,
courage and ability to overcome the severe natural disaster no
matter how the weather will change."
The statement noted that it remains upmost for the government to
restore transportation and power supply and guarantee people's
daily needs.
The meeting called on provincial and local governments, as well
as officials, to continue to make the relief work a top priority
though transportation and power supply chaos in some disaster-hit
regions have been eased.
The transportation authority shall prioritize stranded people on
their way home, relief material, daily necessities and coal to fuel
power plants, the statement said.
Residential areas, hospitals, schools and railway stations will
top the list of power supply and the country is to allocate more
electricity to disaster-hit regions from neighboring areas, it
added.
Governments of all levels are required to crack down upon
overcharging, especially on daily commodities such as rice, meat
and cooking oil.
The areas that did not suffer the winter storm are urged to
reach out to those needing help, it said.
The meeting also asked disaster-suffering provinces to take up
rehabilitation work as soon as possible.
"We are trying to minimize the damage and stabilize the
economy," the statement said.
Good news, sad news
The Beijing-Zhuhai expressway, a north-south trunk road,
reopened at Hunan Sunday afternoon after days of hard work by 1,200
soldiers and armed police, relieving about 10,000 vehicles.
The expressway sections in Hunan and southern Guangdong Province
had been repeatedly blocked in the past week.
Chen Erqun, a truck driver from central Henan Province, has been
trapped on the expressway in Chenzhou city of Hunan for nine
days.
"What I want most is to reach Guangdong and take a good bath and
then sleep," he said.
But for Li Hongxia, a Guangzhou watch factory worker from
northern Hubei province, her hope lost forever.
Passengers hungry for a train ticket are packing big railway
junctures such as the Guangzhou Railway Station. The situation lost
control there Friday evening and Li became the victim. She was
seriously injured in a stampede and died Saturday morning at
hospital.
The whole country is engaged in the battle against the winter
disaster.
The central leadership has made remarkable efforts to boost
public morale.
All nine members of the Standing Committee of the Political
Bureau of the CPC Central Committee visited disaster-affected
regions, people or departments in the past week.
President Hu Jintao went 400 meters underground to visit coal
miners in Datong, Shanxi Province, Thursday to encourage them
working hard to help disaster-affected people in the south pull
through power supply shortage.
On Sunday, top legislator Wu Bangguo visited State Grid
Corporation of China (SGCC) and the Railway Ministry calling
workers to spare no efforts in resuming power supply and
transportation in China's snow-and-ice hit regions.
"Senior leaders visiting disaster hit areas are 'a natural
response' by the government that shows care for people," said
Michael Chui, a Hong Kong born Chinese living in Beijing, "It's an
important move that shows the government is 'aware of the problem'
and think about the people."
The government becomes more open about information this time, he
added.
The other sectors in Chinese society acted quickly as well.
Chinese army sent out military vehicles, from tanks to armored
cars, to clean the highways while the air force's helicopters and
transporters lifted relief material such as candles and quilts to
several heavily-affected regions.
Some private companies Sunday donated more than 10 million yuan
(1.36 million U.S. dollars) worth of relief material and money to
victims in affected areas.
And 65,000 medical workers are serving victims in the fields,
according to the Ministry of Health.
(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2008)
