- Title: CHINA: Extreme weather chaos continues to affect China's transportation systems
- Date: 2nd February 2008
- Summary: (W3) JIANXI PROVINCE, CHINA (FEBRUARY 6, 2008) CHINESE PREMIER WEN JIABAO GETTING FOOD STUDENTS EATING CHINESE PREMIER WEN JIABAO AND STUDENTS EATING CHINESE PREMIER WEN JIABAO AT TABLE TALKING PEOPLE CLAPPING SOUNDBITE (Mandarin), CHINESE PREMIER WEN JIABAO, SAYING: "There is no difficulty that the Chinese people cannot overcome, and no power greater than that of the peo
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- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Weather
- Reuters ID: LVA2V0RM305JQ4WS72L1UQW5CO59
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Emergency crews struggle to clear snow and ice from highways and restore power as forecasters warn of no quick end to China's worst winter weather in 50 years.
Emergency crews struggled on Saturday (February 2) to restore power to parts of southern China blacked out for a week by heavy snow as forecasters warned of no quick end to the worst winter weather in 50 years.
Mobilising the might of the state, China has deployed more than 300,000 troops and nearly 1.1 million militia and army reservists to get traffic moving and ensure power supplies.
The freak weather, which has killed at least 60 people and doomed millions to a cold, dark Lunar New Year holiday, could last another week, the Central Meteorological Station said on Saturday.
The situation on the roads worsened on Saturday as a new run of snow and sleet covered southern China, causing large sections of the main Beijing-Zhuhai (pronounced djoo-hi) highway to grind to a halt. Nearly 10,000 vehicles were stuck on the border area between Guangdong (pronounced gwangdong) and Hunan (pronounced hoo-nan) provinces, where 80,000 soldiers were deployed to clear ice.
Hangzhou (pronounced hang-djow), the capital of southern Zhejiang (pronounced djer-djyang) province, was hit by the worst snow yet on Friday (February 1) night, with blizzards lasting into Saturday (February 2) morning.
Other big cities in the province, which neighbours the business hub of Shanghai, were also seriously hit. Four long-distance bus stations in Hangzhou were forced to close.
Repair teams were racing to bring power to Chenzhou (pronounced tchen-djow), a city of 4 million in the southern province of Hunan, which has been without electricity for eight days. The town's stocks of food and petrol are running low.
About 5,000 workers have been mending frozen power lines leading to Chenzhou, with some soldiers firing submachine guns to shatter ice cloaking the cables, according to Xinhua. It said two repair workers had been killed.
Fresh falls of snow started to blanket central, south and east China on Friday, prompting the government to warn that the weather crisis had yet to peak.
"The most difficult period is still not over yet. The situation remains grim," the cabinet said in a summary of an emergency meeting.
As much as 15 cm (6 inches) of snow covered Shanghai, the financial capital, which posted a yellow snowstorm alert for the first time in 135 years. The city's port at the mouth of the Yangtze River was closed in the early hours of Saturday, stranding more than 1,000 ships. Beijing was once again cold but clear.
Premier Wen Jiabao, who was directing relief operations on Saturday from Hunan, told his cabinet that officials had to "ensure economic and social stability" in the face of the disaster.
There have been no reports of crowd trouble at thronged stations, but prices of food are rising sharply because of the weather chaos. With inflation already near an 11-year high, officials are worried about the potential for unrest.
Some 8,000 freight trains have been delayed in the past week after toppled power lines and icy rails crippled the rail network, triggering the country's most serious power crisis ever.
Millions of migrant workers, for whom the Lunar New Year is usually the only time in the year they see their families, will instead be stuck in the factory towns where they toil.
Some 8,000 freight trains have been disrupted in the past week as toppled power lines and icy rails crippled the rail network. Nearly 6 million passengers have also been stranded on trains or in railway stations, officials estimate.
At least four airports were out of operation, with hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed.
Millions of migrant workers across China, for whom the Lunar New Year is usually the only time in the year they see their families, will spend the holiday stuck in the factory towns where they toil.
The government has put the immediate economic losses of the crisis at about 7.5 billion U.S. dollars. - Copyright Holder: CCTV (China) - NO RESALE MAINLAND CHINA
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