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BEIJING, China (CNN) -- As Typhoon Krosa barreled toward eastern China over the weekend, every level of the Chinese government was whipped into action, evacuating 1.4 million people from the two coastal provinces on which Krosa set its sights.
Krosa stormed across Taiwan, reportedly killing five people, before hammering Zhejiang and Fujian provinces with ferocious winds, rain, flooding and general devastation. Roads were blocked with debris, residents were left without power, businesses closed, schools shut down -- but there were no official reports of deaths in China.
Analysts and observers said China's ability to move hundreds of thousands of people out of harm's way speaks to the country's exceptional ability to mobilize resources and people to deal with disasters.
"We do a decent job in responding to earthquakes," said a Chinese official, requesting anonymity. "We do a better job in dealing with natural disasters that we can anticipate, like typhoons. We can often avoid or minimize deaths if not destruction."
Various factors work in China's favor, not the least of which is the republic's top-down, one-party Leninist political system, which allows Beijing to implement -- and in some cases, impose -- contingency plans. VideoWatch Krosa slam into Taiwan en route to China »
It is the picture of efficiency, said Ramsey Rayyis, China representative for the American Red Cross. There is no political infighting, he said, because every level of government -- from mayors and provincial governors to village chiefs and elders -- is loyal to the Communist Party.
"The government's managing it. It's going to put the plans in motion, and it's going to go forward," Rayyis said. "There are no politically motivating factors that descend from that."
Also helpful is the culture, he said.
"The nature of the country and the nature of how the government is managed, people respond to government calls," he said. "When the government says you need to do this, people respond."
The Ministry of Civil Affairs heads the effort, tapping the predominantly state-run media to issue evacuation orders and deploying police and the People's Liberation Army to administer the disaster response and management initiatives.
Orders from the Cabinet-level agency trickle down to provincial government officials, then down to municipal authorities and village leaders.
Military buses -- and in the case of flooding, boats -- are used to ferry people to safety, which could come in the form of a local gym, schoolhouse, stadium, theater, hostel or simply higher ground. Rarely are people transported more than six miles (10 kilometers) from their homes.
As Krosa neared -- but hours before its landfall -- the Ministry of Civil Affairs ordered about 75,000 boats and ships back to harbor. The ministry also ordered the closure of coastal tourist destinations, where thousands had flocked for the National Day holiday weekend, which ended the day Krosa struck.
Of the 1.4 million evacuees, more than 500,000 were vacationers at Zhejiang's seaside resorts.
In Fujian province, provincial authorities designated a 3.5 million yuan (about $470,000) relief fund, pitched 22,000 tents and distributed 50,000 cases of bottled water, 20,000 quilts and 300,000 pounds of rice.
It's not always easy though, especially when residents are reluctant to leave or don't feel the danger is grave enough to warrant evacuation.
In these cases, tens of thousands of soldiers and local police are deployed throughout cities to enforce evacuations and maintain order.
A few weeks ago in Taizhou City, also in Zhejiang, the government responded to another typhoon by mobilizing 300,000 government officials who quickly shut down businesses and schools, evacuated 372,000 residents and ordered the return of 7,900 boats and ships to harbor.
Some residents were ordered to leave, andgovernment officials provided evacuees with shelter, blankets, bottled water and instant noodles.
One Communist Party official told Chinese media that keeping everyone safe was worth inconveniencing folks.
"We'd rather hear people curse us before the imminent disaster than hear people cry after the disaster," the party secretary for Wenzhou City in Zhejiang was quoted.
But while the system is effective, the efficiency cannot be entirely attributed to a central Communist regime and obedient populace, said Rayyis of the American Red Cross. Chinese officials have myriad plans for all types of disasters and regularly run drills and simulations to test those preparations.
"The situation really dramatically changed after the SARS scare a few years back," Rayyis said, referring to the severe acute respiratory syndrome fright that gripped Asia in 2003 and 2004. "It really highlighted the gaps."
For context on China's preparedness, compare the republic's response to Krosa with neighboring Vietnam's to Typhoon Lekima last week.
Lekima hit the Vietnamese coast with winds of about 80 mph (129 kph), relatively weak in terms of hurricanes. But after heavy rains drenched the flood-prone villages of Vietnam -- some of the worst flooding in decades -- at least 67 were reported dead as many homes were left underwater. Watch efforts to help the victims of Vietnam's floodingVideo
Joe Lowry of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told The Associated Press, "Preparations were made for the storm, but they didn't take the flood warnings seriously enough."
In China,said Rayyis, government officials are prepared for the full gamut of disasters -- be it typhoon, tsunami, earthquake, drought, wildfires, flooding or terrorist attack. According to the Asian Disaster Reduction Center, natural disasters affect up to 200 million Chinese people a year.
"It's pretty standard cyclical disaster," Rayyis said. "Every year we know something's going to happen and every year we know it's going to be big."
Because the economic toll of these events often soars into the billions -- not to mention the human toll -- it is important for China's development and well-being to have solid disaster plans in place, Rayyis said.
Despite the nation's record of efficiency in disaster response, Rayyis said he still marvels over how meticulously the government administers its efforts.
"Every time I see it, I have to say, it's impressive," he said.
A crappy 5th world nation is capable of evacuation more than 1 million residents out of harms way and yet the Bush administration failed to empty the city of New Orleans. Can we have a more incompetent government?
