How technology is reshaping China’s disaster response-Xinhua
How technology is reshaping China’s disaster response-Xinhua
https://english.news.cn/20260715/a1431f2c50a747a489011a51e70d4466/c.html
Publish Date: 2026-07-15 08:52:00
Source Domain: english.news.cn
A rescuer operates a drone to lift relief supplies in Guigang City, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, July 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)
NANNING, July 15 (Xinhua) — When torrential rains and typhoons unleash devastation, the traditional battle against natural disasters has often been a grueling test of human endurance. But across China, the rules of engagement are changing. From autonomous aerial fleets to artificial intelligence (AI), high-tech solutions are profoundly transforming emergency management.
This technological pivot is replacing reactive physical struggles with proactive, data-driven science, constructing a resilient “digital shield” to safeguard lives and infrastructure.
The real-world impact of this shift was vividly demonstrated during the recent response to a severe typhoon in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
As floods crippled critical infrastructure and isolated communities, ground-based assessments became impossible. Local emergency responders deployed fleets of drones to conduct high-altitude assessments over the hardest-hit areas. These unmanned aerial vehicles provided real-time video feeds and delivered essential supplies to stranded residents, serving as eyes and lifelines for command centers when roads could not be used.
Beyond the skies, AI has emerged as a critical force multiplier in urban flood management. During a recent severe rainstorm in Shenzhen, a major tech hub in south China’s Guangdong Province, local authorities relied on an AI-powered monitoring system to manage a red alert.
Rather than exhausting personnel to manually scan countless camera feeds, the system autonomously analyzed over 243,000 surveillance images, successfully flagging more than 1,500 potential flood risks with precise locations and detailed descriptions.
Local emergency management officials noted that these AI “sentinels” have drastically improved response efficiency, eliminating the oversights that once plagued manual monitoring.
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