Villagers carrying disaster relief rice walk back home in Shangzhuang Village of Sanpo Town, Laishui County, north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Affected by heavy rainfall, some villages in Laishui County encountered traffic and communication disruptions. Local authorities have made every effort in mending infrastructure damaged by flood while delivering disaster relief supplies purchased by the government and donated by all walks of life to flood-affected residents.(Photo: Xinhua)

China's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management on Friday urgently allocated an additional 1.46 billion yuan ($201.96 million) for disaster prevention and relief, which will support five flood-hit provincial-level regions in North and Northeast China, a move to further ensure people's daily life and restore social order in a timely manner. 

The central government has issued a total of 7.74 billion yuan in flood control and disaster relief since this year's flood season began. Among the funds, more than 5.08 billion yuan was earmarked for Beijing, Tianjin, and the provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang and Jilin, for emergency rescue and relief work, agricultural production restoration and repair of water conservancy facilities, according to the Ministry of Finance on Friday.

As Typhoon Doksuri's impact lingers in Northeast China, Typhoon Khanun is forecast to bring heavy rain to the region in the next few days, with some places suspending classes and closing tourist attractions to reduce risks. Liaoning Province activated level-IV emergency response for flood and typhoon prevention and the relevant departments have done preparations, Liaoning authorities said.

Dandong in Liaoning announced on Thursday the suspension of classes in order to minimize the negative impact brought by Typhoon Khanun.

Torrential rains battered Hebei over recent days. The death toll from the flood disaster in North China's Hebei Province has risen to 29, with another 16 people still missing as of Thursday. The disaster has caused heavy losses to the province, with the estimated direct economic loss reaching 95.8 billion yuan, Hebei provincial authorities announced at a Friday press briefing.

Hebei officials expressed their deep condolences for those who lost their lives in the line of duty and to the civilian victims of flooding, and sent their deepest condolences to all affected families. All personnel mourned for the victims at the press briefing.

Since the flooding began, Hebei dispatched rescue teams, who have worked day and night to save lives and deal with dangerous situations. More than 1.75 million people have been transferred across the province, including 978,400 people from flood detention areas. The province will elevate post-disaster reconstruction as a key task and plans to complete the reconstruction work in two years, local officials said. 

Authorities in Hebei vowed to ensure that every affected student can return to school on time before September 1, and ensure that affected residents can go home or move into new homes before winter. The reconstruction of flood-damaged flood control projects will be completed before the flood season in 2024, and all reconstruction projects will be finished before the start of the 2025 flood season.

Top-down cooperation around the country has been formed to support disaster relief. The heavy rainstorms in Hebei lasted for a long time and were at a high intensity, which caused widespread flooding and resulted in severe disaster situations, Zhang Chengzhong, executive vice governor of Hebei, said at the press conference on Friday.

According to preliminary statistics, as of Thursday, more than 3.88 million people and 319,700 hectares of crops in Hebei have been affected, including 131,500 hectares which have been destroyed completely, Zhang said.

A total of 40,900 houses have collapsed with a further 155,500 severely damaged. And 1,150 primary, secondary schools and kindergartens were damaged, 1,871 medical institutions were damaged, and transportation, power, communication, water conservancy, and other infrastructure in the disaster-stricken areas suffered heavy losses. The overall disaster situation is still being verified and confirmed, according to the official.

The province's rainfall is equivalent to about 27.5 billion cubic meters of water, with 24-hour rainfall exceeding 400 millimeters in some areas such as Baoding, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai. The heaviest rainfall occurred in the village of Liangjiazhuang in Lincheng county, with cumulative rainfall reaching 1,008.5 millimeters, Zhang added.

Global Times