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BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Public support is crucial to China's disaster relief efforts, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Friday.
At present, more should be done to improve coordination between the government and social organizations, and people wanting to help should be informed about the competence and resources of their fellow volunteers, said Yang Xiaodong, deputy head of the ministry's disaster relief bureau.
According to Yang, the ministry has rolled out a series of measures to properly allocate disaster relief resources.
On Oct. 8, the ministry issued guidelines on social participation in effective relief.
In the guidelines, the ministry advised non-professional groups and volunteers against entering disaster-hit areas in the initial rescue period.
"We would like volunteers to receive professional training to make their assistance more helpful," added Yang.
The guidelines also called for better organization and management of donations, encouraging people to donate money rather than materials.
