It has been long time since we have witnessed such heavy
snowfalls in central, eastern and southwestern parts of the
country. Its timing - pre-holiday travel peak period - has made the
situation even worse.
The snowfalls and sleet have lasted for more than a week and
will continue possibly for another week. Nineteen airports in 14
provinces and autonomous regions have been closed, as well as
dozens of highways and expressways.
The affected provinces and regions, where temperatures are
usually moderate at this time of the year, were caught off-guard.
Little did they expect such prolonged snowfalls. The unpreparedness
has apparently added to the chaos.
Water pipes cracked in some cities, cutting off the supply of
drinking water to thousands of residents; the breakdown in
electricity grids caused blackouts in some counties in southwestern
Guizhou; the power failure also cut off electric railway transport
from Beijing to Guangzhou and thousands of passengers were
stranded.
The State Council has convened a teleconference to call on
governments at various levels to do their best to alleviate the
inconvenience and losses local people have suffered, and to rush
food and water to those stranded.
Governments are undoubtedly facing a challenge. It will be a
test of how quickly they can mobilize resources to deal with the
situation, and how well they have prepared in the past for such
emergencies.
A Chinese proverb says, only the toughest grass stands the
strongest wind. Those who have done a good job in building a strong
team of officials, and have laid a solid foundation in every aspect
of their work will have less difficulty in mobilizing resources to
reduce inconvenience, and keep losses to a minimum.
Even after the snowfalls cease, the governments will have to
face the task of rebuilding damaged transport systems, and
repairing electricity grids.
The better the job they do, the lighter the task will be in
reconstruction.
(China Daily January 29, 2008)