(4) taking the necessary measures to guarantee safety and normal operation of such public facilities as the ones for transportation, communications, water supply, drainage, power supply, gas supply and heat supply;

(5) announcing to the public in a timely manner suggestions and advice on taking special measures to avoid or mitigate damage;

(6) helping the persons who are vulnerable to damage in the emergency to move to other places, disperse or evacuate, and having them properly resettled, and moving important property to other places;

(7) closing or restricting the use of such places as are vulnerable to damage in the emergency, and controlling or restricting such activities in public places as are liable to cause the expansion of the scale of damage; and

(8) other necessary preventive and protective measures as are provided for by laws, administrative regulations and rules.

Article 46 With respect to public security incidents that are imminent or have occurred, local people's governments at or above the county level and their relevant competent departments shall, in accordance with the regulations, report the incidents to the people's governments at the next higher level and their relevant competent departments and, when necessary, may report by passing the said level.

Article 47 The people's government giving the alarm of an emergency shall, in accordance with the relevant regulations and, in light of the development of the situation, make an appropriate adjustment of the grade of the early warning and publish the same anew.

Where there are facts to prove that the occurrence of an emergency is unlikely or the danger has been eliminated, the people's government that gives the alarm shall immediately announce the lifting of the alarm, terminate the period of early warning and call off the relevant measures taken.

Chapter IV

Emergency Handling and Rescue

Article 48 After an emergency occurs, the people's government that performs the duty of unified leadership or organizes the handling of the emergency shall, in light of the nature, characteristics and degree of damage of the emergency, immediately organize the relevant departments, deploy the emergency rescue teams and people from different sectors of the society, and take measures for handling the emergency in accordance with the provisions in this Chapter and the provisions of the relevant laws, administrative regulations and rules.

Article 49 After a natural disaster, calamitous accident or public health incident occurs, the people's government performing the duty of unified leadership may take one or more of the following measures for handling the emergency:

(1) organizing the rescue and treatment of victims, dispersing and evacuating persons exposed to danger and having them properly resettled, or taking other measures to help them;

(2) promptly keeping the source of danger under control, clearly marking the endangered areas, blockading the endangered places, demarcating the security areas, exercising traffic control, and taking other control measures;

(3) immediately doing rush repairs of such damaged public facilities as the ones for transportation, communications, water supply, drainage, power supply, gas supply and heat supply, providing the victims with shelters and daily necessities, and giving them first aid, and taking sanitation and anti-epidemic measures and other safeguard measures;

(4) prohibiting or restricting the use of the relevant equipment and facilities, closing or restricting the use of related places, suspending the activities which draw a high density of people or the production or business activities which may lead to increased scale of damage, and taking other protective measures;

(5) bringing into use the fiscal reserve funds set aside and the emergency rescue materials reserved by the said people's government and, when necessary, appropriating other materials, equipment, facilities and instruments which are urgently needed;

(6) organizing citizens to participate in emergency rescue and handling, and requiring the ones with given specialties to provide services;

(7) guaranteeing the supply of food, drinking water, fuels and other basic daily necessities;

(8) in accordance with law, imposing severe punishment on persons who disrupt market order by hoarding and cornering, forcing up prices, making and selling counterfeit goods, etc., to stabilize market prices and maintain market order;

(9) in accordance with law, imposing severe punishment on persons who disrupt public order by looting, and interfering with and sabotaging emergency handling, etc., to maintain public security; and

(10) taking necessary measures for preventing the occurrence of secondary and derivative incidents.

Article 50 After a social safety incident occurs, the people's government responsible for organizing the handling of the emergency shall immediately mobilize the relevant departments, and the public security organs shall, in light of the nature and characteristics of the incident and in accordance with the relevant law, administrative regulations and other relevant regulations of the State, take one or more of the following measures for handling the emergency:

(1) compulsorily keeping apart the parties that fight each other with tools or participate in conflicts with violence, properly resolving the disputes and controversies on the spot, and taking control of the development of the situation;

(2) taking control of the buildings, means of transportation, equipment and facilities and the supply of fuels, gas, power and water in a given area;

(3) blockading the related places and roads, examining the identity certificates of the persons at the scene, and restricting the activities held in the related public places;

(4) keeping close guard of the key organs and units which are vulnerable to attack, and posting temporary security cordons around such units as the State organs, military organs, State news agencies, radio and TV broadcasting stations, and foreign embassies and consulates in China; and

(5) taking other necessary measures as specified by laws and administrative regulations and by the State Council.

When an incident seriously endangering public security occurs, the public security organs shall immediately send out policemen and, in light of the situation at the scene, take the appropriate compulsory measures according to law to restore social order as soon as possible.

Article 51 Where the occurrence of an emergency seriously affects the normal operation of the national economy, the State Council or the relevant competent departments authorized by the State Council may take safeguard and controlling measures and other necessary emergency measures, to guarantee the basic daily necessities of the people and mitigate the effects of the emergency to the maximum extent.