China's Hebei relocates over 1.54 mln due to heavy rains

North China's Hebei Province had evacuated more than 1.54 million people as of 8 a.m. Friday due to heavy rainfall over the previous few days, local authorities said.

Among the relocated, 961,200 are from areas for flood storage and detention in Hebei, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said on Saturday.

Amid the impact of Typhoon Doksuri, torrential rains have battered most parts of Hebei since July 27. A total of 883 towns and townships in 98 county-level regions of Hebei have been hit by rain-triggered flooding, affecting over 2.22 million people.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, Hebei had dispatched 3,385 working groups and mobilized materials worth 150 million yuan (about 21 million U.S. dollars) to assist with rescue and relief efforts.

So far, more than 300 professional emergency rescue teams and 6,913 people have participated in the on-site rescue work in Zhuozhou, one of the worst-affected areas in Hebei.

The cities of Langfang, Hengshui and Baoding in Hebei maintained a Level-I emergency response for flood and typhoon prevention. China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.