City to have disaster shelters in 30 parks

SHANGHAI - More than two weeks after an earthquake and a tsunami struck Japan, the Shanghai government said it plans to better deal with disasters by building emergency shelters in 30 parks within five years.

According to a plan released by the Shanghai municipal greening and city appearance bureau, 500 million yuan ($76 million) will be spent on converting parts of 30 parks into emergency shelters by 2016. The goal of the project is to ensure local residents will be able to find space to live in during sudden disasters.

As a part of Shanghai's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), new emergency shelters will be set up in 16 parks, while existing shelters in another 14 parks will undergo renovations.