Chinese authorities allocate extra 350 mln yuan to flood-hit regions

Chinese authorities on Sunday earmarked an additional 350 million yuan ( million) to assist flood-hit regions in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and also provinces in northeast China. 

So far, the central government has allocated 520 million yuan in central natural disaster relief funds to the above-mentioned regions, according to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management. 

Local governments can use these funds for disaster relief, emergency response, relocating residents, seeking flood-related hazards and restoring damaged homes, the authorities said. 

Torrential rainstorms and floods have wreaked havoc in north and northeast China over the past week. Ten teams have been dispatched by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters to help the rescue and relief work in the flood-hit regions, according to an official meeting on Saturday.

The working teams are assisting the local authorities in flood control and rescue, the office of the headquarters said.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has also assigned professional rescue teams to the worst-affected areas.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has maintained the Level II emergency response in Tianjin and Hebei, and Level III in Beijing, Jilin and Heilongjiang.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.