Southern China tested by record cold temps
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E-mail Xinhua, January 8, 2013
Governments in southern China are struggling to aid the homeless and repair infrastructure amid persistent cold weather that has brought the lowest temperatures recorded in 28 years.
Shelters equipped with quilts, coats and food have opened to the homeless in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province.
"You can find shelters and aid stations for the elderly and homeless in all communities and villages in our district," said Zou Zhongxian, a civil affairs official in the city's Luyang District.
The civil affairs bureau in south China's city of Guangzhou has also arranged 1,347 shelters for the elderly.
Massive amounts of snow blanketed Anhui's Huangshan Mountain on Tuesday, putting pressure on authorities to prevent traffic disruptions and ensure safety for tourists.
More than 1,000 traffic officers and volunteers have worked together to clear snow and spread salt on icy roads. Drivers have been asked to put chains on their vehicle tires to prevent skids, and workers have been dispatched to check old trees that may be in danger of falling.
Maintaining power is also a concern, as regions that rely on hydroelectric sources may be prone to electricity shortages during periods of icy weather, experts have warned.
An official from a State Grid branch in Hunan Province said 113 power lines have frozen in the province thus far.
In southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, over 166,600 people have been affected by the freezing disaster, according to the regional civil affairs bureau.
Freezing rain and snowfalls have also affected about 18,500 hectares of overwintering farmland in Guangxi.
That province's direct economic losses to the cold weather are estimated to be over 83.9 million yuan (about 13.48 million U.S. dollars), mostly coming in agricultural fields.
In neighboring Guizhou Province, over 230,000 people have also been affected by lingering cold weather since last December.
It has been confirmed that over 1,000 hectares of farmland will bear no harvest due to the freeze, which will cause Guizhou to lose at least 60 million yuan.
The National Meteorological Center said in a Tuesday statement that southern China will continue to experience snow, rain and freezing temperatures for the next few days.
The center said the severe weather will intensify from Jan. 8, with blizzards in western regions along the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers, as well as the northern part of south China.
The weather is not unlike that experienced in the winter of 2008, when freezing temperatures resulted in more than 120 deaths and more than 150 billion yuan in direct economic losses.
However, experts do not expect a similar outcome for this year's winter season.
"Although the cold fronts are strong, moisture has been inadequate this year, reducing the possibility of a widespread and continuous freeze like that of 2008," said Chen Lijuan, a senior engineer at the National Climate Center under the China Meteorological Administration.
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