China takes targeted preparedness measures against rainstorms, floods as typhoon hits

BEIJING, July 27 -- Chinese water authorities are sparing no effort in coping with flash floods and related disasters as they take more precise and targeted measures to mitigate the impact of rainstorms and floods in the wake of Typhoon Gaemi, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Saturday in a situation update.

According to the update, 87 rivers in seven provinces, which are Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong, as well as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, have reported a rise in water levels that triggered warnings as of 8 p.m. Saturday.

Currently, 17 working teams dispatched by the ministry are assisting and guiding local authorities in emergency response to the typhoon as well as the rains and floods it triggered, it said.

"We are strengthening efforts in monitoring and forecasting on the typhoon and making sure that forecasts immediately reach the front line of emergency response," said Li Guoying, minister of Water Resources.

"We are further refining our response measures for floods and related disasters and are precisely utilizing flood control engineering systems in river basins to ensure the safety of water projects under construction and the safety of the middle line of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, as well as the safety of the water supply," Li said.

In the update, the ministry warned that floods would exceed warning levels at some rivers flowing across the river basins of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Haihe River, Liaohe River and Songhua River from July 27 to 31.

The ministry and the China Meteorological Administration warned on Saturday that mountain torrents are extremely likely to occur in the southern part of Hunan Province in central China, and there is also a high possibility of mountain torrents in parts of Liaoning and Jilin provinces in northeast China.

The ministry highlighted that over the next 24 hours, 29 counties in Hunan Province will experience heavy rainstorms, adding that it has raised flood emergency response to Level-III from Level-IV for the province at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The meteorological authorities of the province had earlier made preparation arrangements for Typhoon Gaemi's potential impact and conducted a special discussion session with meteorological experts.

Xiao Yanglin, deputy chief of the provincial meteorological department, urged more attention to be given to screening and removing risks that may follow the typhoon, adding that every effort would be made to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, 95 professional rescue teams comprised of 4,800 engineers, as well as 40 other rescue teams comprised of more than 2,000 people have been pre-positioned in different areas to cope with the typhoon's impact. Meanwhile, eight helicopters and two Yilong drones are deployed for rescue work.

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

Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, is traveling inland and northward after making landfall on Thursday night in east China's Fujian Province, where hundreds of thousands of people had been temporarily evacuated to safety.

Earlier on Saturday, the ministry also activated a Level-IV emergency response to floods in Tianjin, a major port city neighboring Beijing, the Chinese capital. This came after the ministry activated emergency response to floods in the four provinces of Guangdong, Shandong, Henan and Hubei in the wake of Typhoon Gaemi on Friday.

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