Northwest China's Gansu activates level-II emergency response amid heavy snowfall

LANZHOU -- Northwest China's Gansu province launched a level-II emergency response to transportation disasters caused by low temperatures, rain, snow and freezing conditions on Friday, according to the provincial department of transportation.

Moderate to heavy snowfall has hit various parts of Gansu since Thursday evening. To ensure safe travel during the Spring Festival travel rush, the provincial government initiated a level-II emergency response at 9 am on Friday.

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

According to the local meteorological department's forecast, Gansu is expected to experience frequent rainy and snowy weather till Sunday, with a wide impact, prolonged duration, and significant accumulations of snow as deep as 10 cm in certain areas.

Moderate to heavy snowfall has caused disruptions in several sections of highways in Gansu, leading to the implementation of traffic control measures. The province has mobilized more than 300 emergency machinery and about 1,700 emergency response personnel to ensure safety and smooth traffic flow on key routes.

Relevant departments have also increased the frequency of patrols and conducted snow removal and other measures to guarantee road safety.

On Thursday, China's National Meteorological Center issued a yellow alert for snowstorms and an orange alert for freezing conditions, warning of heavy snowfall in the northwestern, northern and northeastern regions from Feb 1 to 5.