Cities told to prepare for crises

BEIJING, Feb. 27 -- Authorities in all 21 of Guangdong's cities are being urged to set up emergency rescue centers by the end of August, an official with the provincial work safety bureau said yesterday.

"Several unexpected incidents have happened in the province over the past year. It is high time emergency rescue mechanisms are set up in each city," Feng Shouzong, the bureau's deputy director, said.

The centers, which will be affiliated to their respective work safety bureaus, will, among other things, forecast and forewarn of disastrous events, work on schemes to respond to emergencies, stage rescue rehearsals, prepare reserves of essential goods, release emergency information, and direct post-disaster production and reconstruction works, Feng said.

The centers will also work closely with local government departments, he said.

"All cities in the province have been urged to have such an establishment in place by August," he said.

Feng cited the collapse of the Jiujiang Bridge in Foshan in June, the tens of thousands of passengers left stranded in Guangzhou and in the north of the province due to the recent heavy snows, and the explosion at a fireworks factory in Foshan earlier this month as examples of the need for the emergency centers.

Peng Peng, a researcher with the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences, said: "With such a network of centers in place, Guangdong will undoubtedly be better equipped to respond to emergencies in the province."

He said he also expected the centers to employ professionals responsible for the timely release of essential information relating to emergencies, and to ensure cities have sufficient reserves of essential provisions to cope with disruptions to the normal supply chains.

(Source: China Daily)