China activates Level IV emergency response for flood-hit Henan

A Level IV national emergency response, the lowest level in the country's four-tier disaster-relief emergency response system, has been activated for Henan province on Friday following heavy rainfall and flooding triggered by the remnants of Typhoon Dolphin, according to an official statement.

The National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief activated the response under the national emergency plan for natural disaster relief.

A disaster relief team previously dispatched to the affected areas will remain on the ground to assess damage and help local authorities with damage assessment, the evacuation and relocation of residents, and the provision of basic living necessities.

Also on Friday, the commission's office and the Ministry of Emergency Management, together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, allocated 30,000 pieces of central disaster-relief supplies to Henan.

The supplies include folding beds, mattresses, blankets, summer quilts, summer clothing and household emergency kits, and will support the evacuation, resettlement and relief of residents affected by recent flooding in areas including Zhoukou and Xuchang.

Typhoon Dolphin made landfall along the coast of Taizhou, Zhejiang province, on Aug 9 as a strong typhoon before moving inland and gradually weakening.

It weakened into a tropical depression in Hubei province on Tuesday morning. As the system continued moving northward, its residual circulation later affected northern parts of China, bringing further rainfall.