China launches emergency response for Typhoon-hit areas

BEIJING -- Chinese authorities on Sunday launched a level-IV emergency response for disaster relief as Typhoon In-Fa hit the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang.

The response was co-activated by China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) for disaster-stricken areas including Zhoushan, Shaoxing and Ningbo, the MEM said on its website.

Work teams dispatched earlier to the affected regions shall turn into disaster-relief forces on spot to inspect losses and provide guidance to local departments, the ministry said.

Due to severe flooding in central China's Henan Province, the MEM and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration on Sunday allocated more disaster-relief supplies to the province.

China has a four-tier disaster relief emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.