Government bodies must enhance disaster prevention measures and relief work, State Councilor Wang Yong said on May 12 during a plenary meeting held by the National Commission for Disaster Reduction in Beijing.

Wang emphasized that government bodies should establish a more efficient working and operational approach regarding disaster prevention to enhance the capabilities of response and relief measures, to significantly reduce human casualties and financial loss.

Various regions and departments had carried out effective measures and successfully handled a number of natural disasters in 2014, Wang said. However, the prevention of, and response to, natural disasters required a more focused and complex approach.

Management and supervision capability must be enhanced to realize the plans and guidelines to prevent disasters and carry out relief work if they occurred, Wang said. More attention should be paid to the needs of quake-hit areas in the Tibet autonomous region and provide all possible support to reconstruction.

Ordering an improvement in monitoring, early warnings and forecasting, the state councilor said a coordinated and efficient disaster emergency management system should be set up.

Wang also highlighted the importance of publicity and education, the role of scientific and technological support in the field and the capability of urban and rural communities to cope with disasters during the meeting.