Farmer Wu Yifeng, 49, looks at his flooded farmland as he waits for the water to dry up so he can plant rice, following days of heavy rainfall in the region, in Xingang county of Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China on July 5, 2024. - Reuters
BEIJING (Bloomberg): China’s government on Saturday approved the release of 540 million yuan (US$74 million）of additional funds for flood control and disaster relief measures following extreme weather events including tornado.
Most of the funds are earmarked for nine provinces, including central Hunan, Hubei, Anhui and Jiangxi, to help local authorities search, rescue and relocate disaster victims, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement on its website.
Five people were killed and 88 others injured in a tornado in the eastern city of Heze in Shandong province Friday, China Central Television reported.
Rainstorms are expected in the northeastern provinces of Liaoning and Jilin Saturday with areas in Sichuan, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan bracing for heavy rain in the next two days, CCTV said in a seperate report.
The southern part of China including major cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Fuzhou will be hit by high temperatures over the next five days, CCTV added.
A dike breach in Dongting Lake in Hunan province occurred Friday evening, causing flooding in the area and necessitating the relocation of about 5,000 residents, Xinhua News Agency reported. Rescue work is still ongoing, according to CCTV.
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