A drone photo taken on Feb 5, 2024 shows staff members spreading salt to melt ice on a road in Taojiang County of Yiyang, central China's Hunan province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - The Ministry of Emergency Management and one other government department on Tuesday activated a Level-IV national emergency response to disasters induced by low temperatures, rain, snow and freezing conditions in central China's Hubei and Hunan provinces.

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Efforts should be made to guide local governments in providing assistance to people affected by weather-induced disasters, the ministry said, noting that teams have been assigned to ensure the supply of power and shovel snow and ice.

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China has dispatched 20,000 disaster relief items, including cotton-padded quilts, to Hunan province. 

Staff members prepare to perform an ice-removing operation on the Tianxingzhou bridge over the Yangtze River in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, Feb 4, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)