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BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities on Wednesday enacted a grade-IV emergency response campaign, following the destruction wrecked by Typhoon Sarika across China's southernmost province of Hainan.
Sarika made landfall at Hele Town, Wanning City in Hainan on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction despatched teams to assist the rescue and relief work in the worst-hit areas.
The grade-IV response, the lowest in China's emergency response system, initiates a 24-hour alert, requires daily damage reports, and the allocation of money and relief materials within 48 hours.
As of 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, more than 474,000 residents had been displaced, and over 2,600 houses destroyed. Direct economic losses in the region are estimated to be 2.62 billion yuan (389 million U.S. dollars).
