Northeast China fights off prolonged cold snap

Northeast China has sprung into action in response to the lingering cold wave that has disrupted people's lives, with workers striving to restore power and clear snow-laden roads.

Jilin province in Northeast China, which activated a Level IV emergency response (with Level I being the most severe) to heavy snowfall on Sunday, faced a power outage that impacted 1.36 million households.

The local electricity company promptly dispatched 418 teams, including 3,463 repair workers and 989 vehicles, to restore the power supply.

As of Monday night, power had been restored to nearly 847,000 households.

The provincial capital Changchun had formulated a plan to clear the roads two days before the snowfall, mobilizing nearly 1,700 sanitation workers with snow removal vehicles to ensure road safety for traffic.

"We began our work early in the morning and have been continuing for eight hours," said Liu Shu, a local worker, on Monday evening.

Six oriental white storks, stranded in an industrial park in Changchun amid heavy snowfall, were rescued on Monday.

The migratory bird species are under first-class national protection and would normally gather around Changchun in early November before migrating south. However, this year, their journey was impeded by the cold wave.

In Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, primary and middle schools, as well as kindergartens, remained closed on Tuesday.

Schools located on the outskirts have been asked to assess their specific circumstances and make a judgment call regarding the suspension of classes.

Machinery, as well as over 89,000 sanitation workers, have been mobilized to expedite the snow-clearing process on the streets of Harbin.

The border city of Hulin in Heilongjiang, which was hit by blizzards, called on residents to join efforts in clearing the roads for traffic safety, with sanitation workers, Party cadres and volunteers working on the front line.

Traffic police have intensified their efforts to manage traffic flow. In Mudanjiang city, personnel have been deployed near vegetable markets, logistics centers and freight stations to ensure the prompt delivery of basic necessities.

A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday.

Meteorological authorities said on Tuesday that the cold wave will continue in North China over the next three days, with gales and snowfall expected in provinces including Heilongjiang and Jilin, as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Xinhua