40 million affected by floods since July 14

Rainstorms and floods that began on July 14 have affected more than 40 million people across China as of 4 p.m. on July 27. So far, 333 people have been confirmed dead and an additional 300 were reported missing, Xinhua New Agency reported on Wednesday.

Furthermore, more than 3.1 million people have been relocated and resettled. Over 25,000 square kilometers of farmland have been affected, with 4,170 square kilometers yielding no crops.

In addition, 140,000 households saw their homes completely destroyed, and more than 1 million houses have been damaged. The direct economic losses reached nearly 52.7 billion yuan.

The National Disaster-Reduction Committee and Ministry of Civil Affairs have taken timely actions to strengthen the guidance and support of relief work in disaster-stricken areas.

By Liang Jun, People's Daily Online

http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2010-07/28/nw.D110000renmrb_20100728_6-09.htm?div=-1