Many parts of northern China have received this winter's first snowfall. While the snow brought joy to many, it became a challenge for disaster management authorities.

In Tongliao, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the roof of some entertainment facilities at Xilamulun Park collapsed under the weight of snow. So did the roof of a middle school lecture hall in Shenyang, Liaoning province.

Apart from damaging buildings, the snow has also affected normal life in some regions. For example, because of the snow on the road, all bus services in Anshan, Liaoning province, had to be suspended, forcing many people to walk to work.

In Tongliao, a power outage at a water plant caused disruption in the water supply to most parts of old urban areas.

Heavy snowfall can become a threat to people's lives and livelihoods. Since northern China receives heavy snowfall almost every winter, the cities there should be well equipped to deal with inclement weather.

The city authorities should do all they can to prevent such weather from creating hardships for residents or damaging their properties. The authorities should take all necessary measures against potential risks and strengthen their emergency response mechanism. The more vulnerable a region is to extreme weather, the more it has to do to secure public facilities and safeguard people's livelihoods during emergencies.

And the public should understand that sometimes it might be necessary to suspend public transport and other services for safety reasons and avoid greater risks, despite the temporary inconveniences they may cause.

This summer, heavy rainfall battered Henan province, especially the provincial capital Zhengzhou, flooding roads and subways, damaging properties and claiming many lives. All departments should heed the lessons and take necessary measures against extreme weather events.

It is better to be over-prepared, rather than under-prepared, to deal with any weather emergencies and protect people's lives and properties.