China takes new measures for disaster relief

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The winter storms have caused severe energy shortages. China's major oil producers have asked all their branches to increase daily output and have strictly forbidden any limit on supply or rises in price. Passages for food carriers have been set up at gas stations nationwide.

Two workers of Huaibei power company inspect the transformer  substations in Huaibei, east China's Anhui Province, Jan. 29,  2008. The power company pressed the monitoring and inspection  on power lines and transformer substations to ensure the power  supplies in order. An unprecedented snowstorm has affected large  parts of China including Anhui, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei  and Shanghai.(Xinhua Photo)

Many power generators shut down due to the cold weather. Electricity operators have recovered 30 percent of them so far.

Luan Jun, deputy manager of State Grid, said, "We must ensure the safety of key electric grids. Then is the power supply for the country's crucial railways."

Telecommunications in over 30 million households are down while operators continue maintenance work.

Public transportation authorities have ordered all its one and a half million employees to their posts to work around the clock.

Editor:Zhang Ning