China 'Not Ready' For Snow Crisis

Chinese weather experts have admitted that they were not
properly prepared for the snow storms that have left hundreds of thousands
stranded.

Officials have blamed freak conditions, but on Monday the head of the China's meteorological office said "we did not make enough preparation

According to a BBC correspondent in Beijing, Michael Bristow, there are few facilities in the south to deal with icy roads, and power lines are too thin to cope with too much snow and ice.

China's leaders have been working hard to convince people that they are tackling the situation in order to prevent frustration boiling over into unrest.

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This article reveals some harsh truths about China's infrastructure. How can a country who is shut down by a snow storm aspire to becoming a world super power? There isn't alot you can do about the weather, but you owe it too your citizens to be prepared for the worst

Weather Chills China's Economy

Jeffrey Schwartz, the CEO of McDonald's' (MCD) China operation, boarded a plane on the morning of Jan. 28 in Shanghai for what should have been a routine flight to Beijing. But with some of the worst winter weather in memory hammering the country's transportation network, there are no routine flights in China these days. Schwartz didn't arrive in the Chinese capital till that night. "That hour-and-45-minute journey took me 12 hours," he says. "It was the snow."

Millions of people throughout China are suffering far greater hardships. One of the worst snowstorms to hit China since the government began keeping records in 1950 has wreaked havoc throughout the country. At least two dozen people have died in accidents and 827,000 people have been displaced. Heavy snowfall has caused gridlock at train stations and airports, just two weeks before the Chinese New Year begins and hundreds of millions of Chinese return home for the holidays.

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The major snow storms are causing inflation and power shortages in China. The weather has created transportation problems for travelers, and has hindered the shipments of coal, which is required to fuel China's power plants. According to the Civil Affairs Ministry, the snowstorms have cost $3 billion in damages.

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Severe snow hits central China

Unusually heavy snow has left at least 16 people dead and brought transport chaos to large areas of central and eastern China, state media said.

Worst hit is Hubei province, where crops have been destroyed and roads blocked by the heaviest snow seen in the area for 16 years.

More than 7.8 million people there have been affected by the weather, a local official told Xinhua news agency.

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This large snow storm has caused many transportation complications and power outages, in addition to the deaths of sixteen people. Meteorologists say there is more snow to come in the next two days.

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