2010-07-18 09:29

BEIJING - China's State Council issued a notice Saturday ordering governments at all levels, along with relevant ministries, to upgrade prevention against geological disasters to safeguard the safety of  the public.

The notice reads, in this period with frequent flooding and geo-disasters, governments and relevant ministries should give priority to disaster prevention, strengthen disaster-prone sites and facilities, and set up close surveillance within these areas.

Further, according to the notice, once geological disasters strike, governments should relocate local residents and keep people away from hazardous areas. The national land resource authority is required to create an emergency plan and to prepare disaster-relief personnel and materials.

The notice also suggests mass media spread information about prevention and relief instructions.

The notice notes this year witnessed frequently extreme weather, such as the rainstorms and floods in the south and geological disasters that caused heavy death tolls and massive injuries.