Gov raises $37m for flood aid as rain continues

The central government has distributed 250 million yuan ($37.4 million) into flood disaster relief efforts in Hebei, as torrential rains that caused great losses and causalities, lingers.

The money, injected on Monday, will be used for the evacuation and relocation of those affected, subsidizing their life expenses before settling down again, for repairing or reconstructing their houses, and also as solatium for family members of the victims.

A working team, sent by the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and Ministry of Civil Affairs, has dispatched 5000 tents, 5000 folding beds and 5000 blankets to the disaster-hit areas.

From 8am, July 18 to 10am, July 20, rain fell in most parts of the province with an average precipitation of 94 millimeters. As of 6pm on Saturday, flooding had affected more than 9 million people and left 130 people dead and another 110 missing. The direct economic loss from the disaster had reached 16,368 million yuan.

From 8am, Sunday to 8am, Monday, precipitation in the province's nine prefecture-level cities had been more than 50 millimeters. Rainfall in some areas even reached more than 200 millimeters.

The Hebei meteorological department issued a blue alert at 7am on Monday, tipping rainfall across the province would continue into the night. The Chinese meteorological authority uses a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red being the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Rainfall will continue in several cities from Monday night to Tuesday, before most regions in the province experience their highest temperatures rise as high as 34 C.

While there are still sporadic downpours in South China, most parts of the region will experience continuous high temperature from Monday to Wednesday, with the highest temperature in some areas, including the Chongqing Municipality, expected to reach 41 C. The National Meteorological Center had issued an orange alert at 6am on Monday.