As the death toll from the floods rose to 302, with 50 missing by August 2, the Global Times reported that of the total 292 died and 47 are missing in Zhengzhou alone. It said whether the government and relevant departments have fulfilled their duties is being questioned by the public, which has been waiting for an authoritative conclusion. The Global Times stated that China's State Council had announced on August 2 that it set up an investigation team for the July 20 floods in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province and called it "a timely decision". It observed that the July 20 floods are a rare extreme weather event.  It added to some extent, all extreme disasters can catch people off guard, yet that demands us to do more on preventive measures - the emergency mechanism should be activated and operated timely to minimize the number of victims. This time, many parts of Henan were severely affected.