When emergencies hit the Chinese mainland—from floods and earthquakes to public health scares—a structured plan makes the response faster and more effective. In February, the Chinese mainland rolled out an updated four-tier framework to help authorities coordinate everything from risk alerts to on-the-ground rescue operations.
Four Types of Emergencies
The new plan covers four categories:
- Natural disasters: floods, earthquakes and forest fires
- Accidents: industrial incidents and transportation mishaps
- Public health events: epidemics and food safety issues
- Public security events: major criminal cases
Color-Coded Pre-Event Alerts
For looming threats, the system uses a clear, color-based warning scale. Local governments activate one of four alert levels to guide preventive steps and public advisories:
- Level I (Red): Imminent, highly dangerous threat.
- Level II (Orange): Serious threat likely.
- Level III (Yellow): Significant threat possible.
- Level IV (Blue): General threat possible.
Four-Tier Post-Event Response
Once an incident occurs, response duties scale up or down based on severity:
- Level I: The central government directs the most serious incidents, even setting up special command bodies if needed.
- Level II: Provincial governments manage major and particularly major emergencies in their region.
- Level III: Municipal governments coordinate larger incidents.
- Level IV: County governments handle general emergencies locally.
This hierarchy ensures that each crisis is managed by the right level of authority, enabling faster resource allocation to save lives and minimize damage.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
