China launches emergency response to floods in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters activated a Level-IV emergency response to floods in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region on Monday in anticipation of severe rainfall and potential flooding.

From Monday to Tuesday, heavy to torrential rains are forecast in the region, giving rise to high risks of floods and waterlogging, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM).

To support local relief efforts, the MEM has worked together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in dispatching unmanned aerial vehicles to central China's Hunan Province.

The MEM and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration have also allocated disaster relief materials worth 4.41 million yuan (about 618,000 U.S. dollars) to northeast China's Liaoning Province.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most urgent response.