Editorials
Snowstorms' lessons
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-16 07:37
Clear skies and warm sunshine should have done much to dispel the gloom of the snowstorms that caused nearly 40 deaths and paralyzed traffic in several provinces. But they should not be an end to the reflection on the lack of contingency plans and deficiencies of some local governments in effectively dealing with the unexpected natural disaster.
Sure, the snowstorms caught the northern and northwestern provinces by surprise. And many local governments did try their best to help stranded passengers, clear up snow and restore blocked traffic, provide heating to residents as early as possible and bring down the prices of daily necessities which suddenly soared.
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Inefficiency by some local governments in clearing the snow caused problems in traffic in some parts of the city. Some heating companies were reluctant to provide heating at a time when many residents were shivering in their homes as the temperature dropped to -7 C. Vegetable prices soared several-fold because of the paralyzed traffic that made it impossible to transport them into the city. The situation was similar in other cities that were also caught in the snowstorms.
Such unexpected natural calamities are usually an indicator of whether a local government has placed the welfare of local residents on top of its agenda.
Unexpected as the snowstorm was, local governments should have made preparations for such situations since winter was approaching. Heating companies should have been prepared even without the unexpected snowfall. Snow clearing facilities and machines should have been in place. And so should have contingency plans by the local governments.
Had all these been done in advance, the losses from the natural disaster would have been reduced by a great deal and local residents would not have suffered so much. And it would have been much easier for local governments to deal with the disaster.
In the city of Cangzhou, Hebei province, the city government and its residential area were first provided with heating when residents in the rest of the city were still trembling. In the provincial capital, nine residential areas were falsely reported to have been provided with heating.
All these suggest that there is still much to be done before the local governments ensure the interests of local residents are the top priority of their work.
It is time for these governments to honestly introspect on what they have done in dealing with the natural disaster. It has become habitual for governments at various levels to overstate achievements and understate deficiencies. This is definitely not good for learning lessons.
They can hardly expect to do a better job the next time unless they learn to sincerely address the deficiencies even if they have done a comparatively good job.
(China Daily 11/16/2009 page4)
