Chinese vice premier urges efforts to ensure warm winter for flood-affected people

SHENYANG, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing has stressed efforts to ensure the livelihoods and a warm winter for people affected by floods.

Zhang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when he visited affected residents in the city of Huludao in northeast China's Liaoning Province on Saturday.

This year's flood season has witnessed extremely heavy rains in multiple regions across the country that led to severe floods, and Huludao was one of the affected cities.

In China's northeastern regions, where winter arrives early and lasts for a longer time, ensuring a warm and safe winter for the people affected by disasters is a hard task, said Zhang.

Efforts should be made to expedite the repair, reinforcement and reconstruction of damaged houses in the affected areas, help the affected residents access to basic living facilities and ensure that people stay warm during the winter, he said.

Zhang also stressed the need to strengthen the construction of flood control infrastructure and enhance monitoring and early warning.