BEIJING -  Chinese authorities have announced the allocation of 496 million yuan (about 69.59 million US dollars) from its natural-disaster relief fund to assist flood control efforts across a broad swath of the country.

The emergency funds were jointly allocated by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Ministry of Emergency Management, according to a statement released by the MOF on Thursday. Previously, the two departments had already advanced 346 million yuan to support measures aimed at fighting the floods.

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The funds will be used to support flooding and disaster control work in Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangdong and Guangxi.

The ministry said the allocated funds will be channeled to support search and rescue operations, evacuate affected people, detect secondary disasters, and repair damaged houses.

The allocation came after China's national observatory on Thursday renewed an orange alert for rainstorms as heavy rainfall is expected to continue to lash several regions of the country.

From 8 am Thursday to 8 am Friday, torrential rain will sweep parts of Chongqing, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Xizang, according to the National Meteorological Center.

There are areas in Chongqing and Hubei that will see up to 160 mm of rainfall, while some places in these regions will experience short-term heavy rainfall with 60 mm or more of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms and gales.

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Triggered by persistent heavy downpours, 22 rivers in Jiangxi, Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang and Guizhou had reported water levels exceeding alert marks by Monday, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

The meteorological center has advised local governments to implement appropriate preparations and check drainage systems in cities, farmlands, and fishponds.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.