How local govts cope with blizzards indicate their skills in public service

CHINA'S NATIONAL Meteorological Center announced a blue alert on Wednesday morning for snowstorms, which are expected to sweep across China in the coming days. Most parts of the country will experience a rapid drop in temperature, Jiefang Daily reported on Thursday, saying the authorities in the areas affected should be prepared to minimize the disruption and damages, foreseeable or not:

It remains unclear whether the expected snowstorms will deal a heavy blow to many southern provinces, like those in 2008. But all affected cities should do their best to reduce the losses as much as they can, despite the fact they cannot keep such natural disasters at bay.

It is indeed praiseworthy that local schools have been suspended and emergency workers are on standby in a number of places. Farmers have also been instructed by the local agricultural authorities to add organic fertilizers to crops and vegetables and reinforce their plastic greenhouses to reduce damage.

However, these preparations will never be enough if the extreme weather eventually does show up, because poor urban management will almost certainly cause severe damages should the worst-case scenario happen.

Whether the local governments are capable of dealing with extreme situations or not, is a key indicator of their true managerial skills. Their failures to efficiently reduce the damages caused by an emergency, however trivial they might be, will be magnified in the public's eyes.

That, of course, is not enough, because governments at all levels have to apply "bottom line" thinking in their daily governance, and make down-to-earth efforts to eliminate potential risks. This is something they should do under all circumstances not just emergencies. Apart from being prepared for extreme weather such as the forecasted nationwide blizzard, relevant departments need to launch repeated inspections on public facilities to make sure they can function well and carry out the planned emergency responses whenever needed.

They should also get the advice of professionals and residents before making decisions in the face of severe weather conditions. More importantly, local officials, especially those in mega-cities like Beijing and Shanghai, should ensure that such management efforts are made even on normal days.