Severe rain triggers Level IV emergency response in several provinces

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management have launched a Level IV emergency response on Friday for flooding in the provinces of Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, and Qinghai.

The decision was made after weather forecasters predicted heavy rain, and in some areas, torrential rain, in parts of North China, Northeast China, and Northwest China over the coming three days, raising the risk of flood-related disasters.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe. A Level IV response, the lowest in the system, is typically activated when multiple provincial-level regions face general flooding, when major levees or reservoirs are at risk, or when tropical cyclones are forecast to affect the country.