<p>About 7.9 million people have been affected by the rainstorms and direct economic losses total close to USD 864 million, the ministry said in a notice.<br /><br />The rainstorms also damaged 399,000 hectares of crops, in addition to 137,000 houses, Xinhua reported.<br /><br />More than 275,000 people in Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan and Guizhou Provinces, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing Municipality have been relocated.<br /><br />Violent rainstorms with hail and gales hit southern China on May 5, leading to record high precipitation in many areas, including the southern economic hub of Guangzhou.<br />Flooding, landslides and mud-and-rock flows ensued.<br /><br />The Civil Affairs Ministry said it has initiated a level-four emergency response in Chongqing, Hunan and Guangdong, which have been hit the hardest.<br />The ministry has allocated special funds for relief work in the affected areas and dispatched work teams to direct the relief work.<br /><br />In another notice issued by the ministry, it demanded local authorities make people's safety the top priority.<br /><br />Relief personnel, funds and supplies should reach affected areas within 24 hours, the notice said.<br /><br />The notice also urged to provide food, clothes, clean drinking water, shelter, medical treatment for the sick.</p>
<p>About 7.9 million people have been affected by the rainstorms and direct economic losses total close to USD 864 million, the ministry said in a notice.<br /><br />The rainstorms also damaged 399,000 hectares of crops, in addition to 137,000 houses, Xinhua reported.<br /><br />More than 275,000 people in Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan and Guizhou Provinces, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing Municipality have been relocated.<br /><br />Violent rainstorms with hail and gales hit southern China on May 5, leading to record high precipitation in many areas, including the southern economic hub of Guangzhou.<br />Flooding, landslides and mud-and-rock flows ensued.<br /><br />The Civil Affairs Ministry said it has initiated a level-four emergency response in Chongqing, Hunan and Guangdong, which have been hit the hardest.<br />The ministry has allocated special funds for relief work in the affected areas and dispatched work teams to direct the relief work.<br /><br />In another notice issued by the ministry, it demanded local authorities make people's safety the top priority.<br /><br />Relief personnel, funds and supplies should reach affected areas within 24 hours, the notice said.<br /><br />The notice also urged to provide food, clothes, clean drinking water, shelter, medical treatment for the sick.</p>