The Guangdong provincial¹ government is working on a system to provide relief aid within 24 hours to people hit by natural disasters.

The relief storage system is expected to be in place within three years.

An official of the Guangdong emergency management office surnamed Guo told China Daily yesterday that people living in remote or rural areas currently do not receive aid within the critical first few days of a disaster.

He said, "A comprehensive reserve aid system is necessary to make sure affected² people can get help in a matter of hours."

The system will be designed to cover all cities and counties in the province.

Guo went on to reveal that since disasters are diversified³ and complicated, the emergency management office has delegated specified⁴ tasks to relevant departments. These departments will purchase and keep in storage relief materials such as tents and food with funds being provided by the provincial government.

Two deputy governors assigned by the government will oversee⁵ the project.

"Many natural disasters have occurred in the country this year, including Guangdong which has been hit by blizzards⁶ and floods," Tan Jiebin, a public management professor of Guangzhou University, told China Daily.

"The disasters have shown our relief management system lacks efficiency," he said.

The snowstorms that occurred in south China in January and February affected millions of people.

Road transport in Guangdong from north to south was blocked and relief aid to people was delayed.