Cargo was successfully air dropped on Monday to two massively
populated centers in Shaoguan City, south China's Guangdong
Province, which has been one of the worst hit areas by floods
inflicted by typhoon Bilis.
Altogether 2.1 tons of foodstuffs, drinkable water and medicine
were air dropped to a construction quarter of China Railways Tunnel
Group Co.in Pingshi, where 1,200 workers were building a bullet
railway near Jiafeng Mountain, and a provincial prison with 1,633
inmates and 220 wardens, both of which have been stranded since
Saturday's flooding, according to Li Guoxi, leader of air dropping
mission.
The two helicopters were used for the mission during which 21
persons from the flood-stricken Pingshi, were rescued, including 16
children, four pregnant women and one injured female, said Li.
Typhoon Bilis, which later transformed into tropical storm, made
a landfall from south China coast on Friday and continued to affect
more inland areas such as northern Guangdong, where Shaoguan and
Pingshi are located, and Hunan Province, causing a death toll of
188 people and affecting the lives of millions more.
In Shaoguan, where the urban districts were all flooded, there
have been power and water failures, and local residents have to
live temporarily on water provided by tankers for fire control.
Relevant departments have been going all out to repair the
damaged water and power supply infrastructure.
Some senior provincial party and government officials, including
Zhang Dejiang, secretary of Guangdong Provincial Committee of the
Communist Party of China (CPC), rushed to Shaoguan to strengthen
the flood relief efforts.
(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2006)