China steps up disaster relief support for flood-hit Gansu

BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday stepped up support for its northwestern Gansu Province, which has recently been hit by flooding.

The country's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Friday said that it has allocated 100 million yuan (about 14 million U.S. dollars) from its central budget to assist Gansu.

The funds will focus on restoring damaged infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water conservancy projects and public service facilities in affected areas, accelerating the return to normal production and daily life, the NDRC said.

As of 3:30 p.m. Friday, 10 people have died and 33 are missing following mountain torrents in Gansu since Thursday.

China's national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief on Friday initiated a Level-IV emergency response, the lowest level in China's four-tier emergency response system, to the floods in Gansu.

Specialized personnel have been deployed to the affected areas to assist with local relief operations, with a particular focus on ensuring the basic livelihoods of impacted residents.

In a coordinated effort, the commission partnered with the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration to distribute 10,000 central relief supplies on Friday.

The aid package includes folding beds, winter clothing, quilts and emergency lighting to support disaster rescue and relocation efforts in the region.

Also on Friday, the Ministry of Finance and the MEM earmarked 120 million yuan from the central natural disaster relief fund to aid Gansu and north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Inner Mongolia has experienced continuous rainfall since July 23, with flooding affecting some areas.

The funds will be used mainly to search for, rescue and relocate people affected by natural disasters, and to aid other work, such as secondary-disaster detection and the repair of damaged homes. ■