BEIJING: China’s top leadership held a meeting on Thursday to study and arrange work on flood prevention, disaster relief and post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, emphasizing the need to put people’s lives and property first.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presided over the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and delivered an important speech.
The meeting came as some regions in northern and northeastern China have been hit by severe flooding after heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Doksuri and Typhoon Khanun earlier this month.
The disaster has caused major casualties and property losses in parts of Beijing and Hebei, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. Thousands of people had to leave their homes and many infrastructure facilities were destroyed.
Participants in the meeting commended the concerted efforts of people from various sectors in flood control and disaster relief, saying that the nation has made major achievements in flood control and rescue operations.
They pointed out that the country is still in the flood season, various regions across China remain prone to disasters such as heavy rains, floods and typhoons, and some river basins continue to face the risk of flooding.
As some mountainous areas in northern and northeastern China still face the high risk of mountain torrents and geological hazards, they stressed the need to remain highly vigilant, do well in all aspects of flood prevention and disaster relief work, and give top priority to the safety of people’s lives and property.
The meeting’s participants highlighted the importance of precise early warning and called for strengthening links between this and emergency response. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
