With the strongest cold wave in decades headed across China, local governments are sending 24-hour patrols to the streets to help homeless people.

A rescue station at Bengbu, Anhui province, prepared 200 quilts and 100 sets of heavy clothes, along with some food items, and planned to look for needy people on the streets over the weekend.

"We will take homeless people and beggars to the rescue station," said Yu Guo, deputy director of the station. "For those who don't want to stay at the rescue station, we'll give them a quilt and clothes to protect against the deadly cold."