China issues emergency response to Shanxi flood

 BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government initiated¹ a level four emergency plan on Monday in response to torrential rains and flooding in northern China's Shanxi province.

The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry² of Civil Affairs have dispatched teams to help with relief work.

Seven people were killed and three have gone missing in disasters caused by heavy rain and floods that have smashed western and southern Shanxi province since July 26, provincial³ civil affairs authorities have reported.

As of Monday, a total of 483,000 people in the cities of Lvliang and Yuncheng have been affected⁴ by the disasters, while 123,000 people have been relocated.

Rain and floods damaged 31,000 houses and destroyed about 10,300 hectares of crops. Total economic losses are estimated to be 1.46 billion yuan (229 million U.S. dollars), according to provincial civil affairs authorities.

Provincial disaster relief and civil affairs authorities have sent tents, quilts and other relief materials to help residents weather the flood.

Level four emergency plans, the lowest level in China's four-tier emergency response system, require the National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs to send a working team to a disaster zone in question within 24 hours and allocate⁵ relief materials within 48 hours.

According to the ministry's working regulation on emergency response issued in 2009, emergency response plans should be initiated to help with relief work when natural disasters occur. The emergency response level is based on total damage and losses, as well as the number of affected people.

1 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。