Millions of people and livestock suffered through disastrous blizzards earlier this year in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Widespread shortage of food, fodder and fuel is the most serious problem now plaguing snowstorm victims, said the appeal letter issued by 11 NGOs, including the China Charity Federation and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.

Those families whose houses collapsed during the storms are facing extreme difficulties in food, wearing, shelter and medicines, China Charity Foundation officials said.

To help the government handle the grim situation, the 11 NGOs, appealed to society to help victims so they can tide over the difficulties and start production as soon as possible.

In Inner Mongolia, 29 people and 300,000 heads of livestock died in the snowstorm and 1.4 million people and 22.3 million heads of livestock are currently battling the aftermath.

Areas worst hit by the disaster include the cities of Chifeng and Tongliao and the leagues of Xilingol, Hulunbuir and Hinggan. A league is an administrative unit at the prefecture level in China's minority regions.

More than 900,000 people have been affected and more than 10 million heads of livestock have been stranded by snowstorms in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Blizzard-hit areas in Xinjiang are Altay, Tacheng, Ili, Changji, Hami and Bayan Bulag in northern and eastern parts of the autonomous region.

(China Daily 03/23/2001)