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A farming family from the village of Fengxi
in Pucheng county, Fujian province, is all smiles after receiving
rice and a quilt from the local government on Sunday. Food and
other daily necessities were dispatched to villagers to help them
enjoy the New Year following the recent bad weather. Wei
Peiquan
Meteorologists have said there will be a respite from snow and
sleet in the southern part of China for the Spring Festival but
warned that dense fogs are set to follow.
Zheng Guoguang, head of the China Meteorological Administration
(CMA), warned authorities in areas already hit by 20 days of snowy
weather to be prepared.
Since Jan 10 sleet, snow and ice has affected the middle and
lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
"Such extreme weather conditions generally only take place every
50 to 100 years, and only in some localities," Zheng said.
"The government attaches great importance to responding to this
kind of extreme weather."
Soon after the CMA issued its forecast on Jan 8, the State
Council issued an urgent notice to all local governments
instructing them to prepare for the storms.
The CMA launched a grade 2 emergency-response plan on Jan 25 and
a grade 3 plan on Jan 27.
The CMA has sent taskforces to Guizhou and Hunan provinces,
which have been hit hardest by the inclement weather.
"The CMA joined forces with many other governmental departments,
including railways, transport, power supply, civil aviation, safety
and security, and civil affairs," Zheng said.
"The administration did its utmost to ensure the public had
access to the latest information, forecasts, warnings and
advisories."
Zheng, blamed the La Nina phenomenon and abnormal atmospheric
conditions for the inclement weather that has ravaged many parts of
the country.
La Nina is a large body of unusually cold water in the
equatorial Pacific Ocean that develops every few years and
influences global weather patterns.
It is the climatic opposite of El Nino, a warming of the
Pacific.
Zheng said La Nina conditions developed in August and
strengthened at the fastest pace in 56 years.
The average sea-surface temperature during the past six months
was half of 1 degree Celsius lower than normal, he said.
(China Daily February 5, 2008)
