Downpours, floods wreak havoc in Chinese provinces

BEIJING - Heavy rains and ensuing floods since June 22 have affected more than 2 million people and left 13 people dead or missing in Zhejiang and Guizhou provinces, civil authorities said Tuesday.

China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs have jointly issued grade-IV emergency responses and have sent teams to assist in disaster-hit areas.

In Zhejiang, by 7 a.m. Tuesday, 765,000 people have been affected and 149,000 had been evacuated to safer places. Around 4,800 houses were damaged, and direct economic losses have been estimated at 2.08 billion yuan (304.6 million U.S. dollars), according to the provincial civil affairs authorities.

Guizhou's civil affairs authorities said, by 7 a.m. Tuesday, more than 1.26 million people were affected, 13 people were reported dead or missing, and 110,000 had been evacuated to safer places. A total of 56,300 hectares of agricultural crops were affected and direct economic losses reached 1.33 billion yuan.

A grade-IV response, the lowest in China's emergency response system, requires a 24-hour alert, daily damage reports, and the allocation of money and relief materials within 48 hours.
Local disaster response and civil affairs authorities have allocated disaster relief funds and materials including quilts and folding beds.