Need for better disaster preparedness

On Sunday, when Typhoon In-Fa tore through the Yangtze River Delta, cities such as Shanghai were prepared.

At 3 pm on Saturday, the local weather station in Shanghai upgraded its typhoon warning level to orange, the second highest in the domestic weather warning system. During the weekend, entertainment hubs in Shanghai bore a deserted look, scenic spots and museums remained shut; subways, high-speed trains and ferries were also suspended.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, Shanghai suffered marginal losses. Even in the past Shanghai has taken precautions against typhoons which have passed it by, without so much as bringing heavy rainfall. Leading many to joke on social networking sites that Shanghai is so prepared for eventualities that even typhoons give it a miss.

Suspending activities certainly lead to economic losses, especially if the typhoon never shows up, but better that way than be caught unprepared. In other words, better for the municipal government to hear people grumbling than to hear them crying.

It should be remembered that the best of technology cannot make us cautious enough against natural disasters.

For example, the local weather station at Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, had raised a red alarm and suggested that schools and offices be suspended ahead of a feared cloudburst last week. Unfortunately, the station can only propose, and not enforce, such decisions. The heavy flooding that followed the cloudburst in Zhengzhou left dozens of people dead and some missing.

Such loopholes need to be plugged by enacting new regulations. For example, is it possible to pass a law that requires all organizations to suspend schooling and offices following a red alert, instead of waiting for administrative orders? After all time is life.

Beijing has amended its local regulation, authorizing schools and kindergartens to suspend classes once the emergency reaches Level I. That's what other cities need to learn from.