The standing committee of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee held a meeting Friday to be briefed on the immediate response and aid to the areas hit by a devastating hail and thunderstorm in Nantong city last Friday.
The Party Central Committee and the State Council are very concerned about the rescue after strong gales struck Jiangsu and Premier Li Keqiang has given instructions on Jiangsu's disaster relief, according to a statement released after the meeting.
The departments of emergency response, agriculture, public security, civil affairs, transportation, fire protection, communications, and electric power quickly restored the order of production and life in the disaster-stricken areas with disaster relief carried out in a scientific, effective, and orderly way, the statement said.
We must implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, follow the instructions and requirements of the central leadership, and do our utmost to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property, said the statement.
It is necessary to restore the normal production and living order of the victims as soon as possible, transform and construct damaged houses and infrastructure, strengthen the forecast and early warning of extreme weather, and ensure that losses are minimized in the event of a disaster, the statement said.
At least 11 people were killed and 102 others injured in Nantong, Jiangsu province, when hail and thunderstorm scourged the area on Friday, according to the city's website.
The 11 died from collapsed houses, falling trees, broken power poles and thrown into river by gales.
As of Saturday noon, more than 100 people were injured and 3,000 people were affected by the extreme weather, said the website.
Another 11 people fell into the ocean after a fishing boat was blown away by strong winds on Friday. While two people were rescued, nine were still missing.
A total of 3,050 people have been evacuated to safer places. Some top provincial officials have rushed to the city for rescue work.
As of Saturday morning, 66 people in middle and north Jiangsu province were injured in the severe weather and more than 13,600 people were affected.
