Environment     

China issues emergency response to fight floods

Xinhua, September 20, 2011

• The central government launched emergency response plans on Monday to battle the severe rain-triggered floods in central Henan Province that have left six people dead so far.

  Buildings are inundated in floodwaters in Quxian County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 19, 2011. [Xinhua]

  The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs have dispatched working teams to help with relief work.

  According to figures from the provincial civil affairs authorities, 49 counties in 14 cities have been affected by the heavy rains since Sept. 10, which forced 15,200 residents to evacuate.

  As of Monday, the rainfall has damaged 16,600 houses and caused the collapse of 11,600, leading to direct economic losses of 930 million yuan (145.6 million U.S. dollars).

  Continuous rain disrupted traffic on a rail route in Henan on Sunday and repair work continued Monday. It is not immediately known when traffic will resume.

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