People take a rescue boat to a transshipment point in Fangshan District of Beijing, capital of China, Aug 2, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
BEIJING - Chinese flood control authorities pledged all-out search and rescue efforts on Sunday as intensified floods pose challenges to multiple regions.
North China's Tianjin faces massive pressures as two floods are passing through and a third one is about to arrive, while Beijing and Hebei have the challenging tasks of relief and reconstruction, according to a meeting of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the Ministry of Emergency Management, and several other government departments.
For northeast China's Heilongjiang and Jilin, water levels surpassed the alert line in parts of the Songhuajiang and Nenjiang rivers. As a new round of downpours lashed Guangxi and Yunnan, the country's southern and southwestern regions also saw increasing risks of floods and other natural disasters.
At the meeting, authorities mapped out a series of flood control measures in affected regions, from improving facilities at temporary shelters to strengthening dike patrol and accelerating reconstruction.
Authorities also earmarked an additional 350 million yuan ($50 million) to assist flood-hit regions of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and also provinces in northeast China
China has maintained the Level-II emergency response in Tianjin and Hebei and Level-III in Beijing, Jilin, and Heilongjiang.
The central government departments have sent 9,000 home emergency kits to Tianjin, Jilin, and Heilongjiang to support relocation and settlement of residents.
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Authorities also earmarked an additional 350 million yuan ($50 million) to assist flood-hit regions of 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.
This aerial photo taken on Aug 6, 2023 shows large machineries cleaning up falling rocks that block a road near Jinjitai Village in Shijiaying Town of Fangshan District in Beijing, capital of China. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Torrential rainstorms and floods have wreaked havoc in north and northeast China over the past week.
In the face of the emergency, China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) actively participated in rescue operations. Centrally-administered SOEs have dispatched rescue workers, equipment, and vehicles to help reinforce river embankments, repair roads, relocate residents, and restore power and communication facilities.
READ MORE: Beijing accelerates restoration of rain-damaged roads
Insurance companies also accelerated compensation payments in 16 flood-hit regions, paying out 264 million yuan so far. The total compensation claims from car damages to losses of crops have amounted to 6.24 billion yuan.