Society
Weather death toll lowest in 20-years
By Xie Jingwei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-01-08 17:09
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Meteorological disasters claimed more than 1,200 lives in China last year, the lowest figure in 20 years, xinhuanet.com reported citing the National Meeting of Meteorological Bureau Chiefs held in Beijing Thursday.
Typhoons caused the least the number of fatalities in 2009 since 1999 with the death toll standing at 43, according to data released at the meeting.
Some 85.5 percent of the public are content with the country's weather services, said the meeting.
The China Meteorological Administration responded to emergencies 16 times and sent 12 working groups to disaster areas last year. Provincial-level observatories issued 1,390 alerts and sent more than 4 billion free meteorological early-warning information messages in 2009.
