At least 4 dead as China battles blizzard conditions for third day
Print Edition
China has been battling the first blizzard of the winter for a third day, with deaths reported on dangerous, icy roads.
The blizzard has been sweeping through the northeast Chinese provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning since Saturday, leaving many highways and schools closed, and flights and trains delayed.
At least four people have been killed and seven others injured on roads in Jilin. The casualties were reported in eight traffic accidents, all of which happened on slippery frozen roads.
The province’s public security department has mobilized extra traffic police to conduct 24-hour patrols and urged drivers to exercise caution.
Frozen highways have been closed in most northeastern cities. Though air and rail services have remained operational, there have been reports of delays.
In Harbin, Heilongjiang’s capital, hundreds of vehicles were creeping along the streets at the same speed as pedestrians.
Zhao Yuwen, a taxi driver in Harbin, said that his first, and last, fare of the day took him over an hour, rather than the usual 10 minutes in good weather.
“It’s only 5 kilometers from the train station to the provincial hospital, but it took much more time than usual today,” he said. “So, I decided to go back home early and I won’t work again until the storm’s over.”
As vehicles struggled their way through snow at an average depth of 20 centimeters, there were long queues at bus stops and taxi stands.
Harbin resident Liu Zhi complained of waiting over half an hour for a bus before giving up and sharing a taxi.
More than 20,000 police and members of the public have been working around the clock to clear snow and ice from the streets in city.
Despite the inconvenience, the weather has brought out the best in many citizens. Pictures of people lending a hand to push cars trapped in snow have sprung up on social networking sites and won thousands of “likes.”
Quake victims resettled
In Jilin’s Songyuan City, hit by twin earthquakes on October 31, victims were fortunate to have been resettled before the blizzard arrived.
More than 4,000 households were affected in Chaganhua Town, the epicenter of the 5.5 and 5.0-magnitude quakes. Though no deaths were reported, many houses were left uninhabitable.
Most of the quake victims have rented houses or turned to relatives for help.
However, others have found a safe haven in shelters built by the government. Liu Yanguang was among the first group from Yingtu Village who moved into government-sponsored temporary shelters.
Liu’s brick-mud home was razed in the quake, and the family of five are now sharing a 25-square-meter room with a heated brick bed and kitchen.
Though temperatures dropped to minus 10 degrees Celsius outside, the temperature inside the room reached 20 degrees.
“It is even warmer than the house we used to live in,” said Liu.
The shelter is made of steel and benzene boards, whose heat preservation effect is even better than brick houses, according to Zhang Yi, manager in charge of the construction work.
“It is also strong enough to withstand quakes above 8.0-magnitude and strong snowstorms,” said Zhang.
So far, 270 such shelters have been built in the quake area.
All kindergartens, primary and junior high schools were closed yesterday in the cities of Changchun, Jilin and Baishan.
“Student safety is our top priority. Where the weather is not that bad, closure of schools is not mandatory,” said education official Lu Lin.
Harbin decided that all kindergartens and schools would remain shut today with heavy snow expected, although the blizzard is expected to begin to wane.
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