China raises emergency response level for floods in northeast; US$49 million set aside for rescue efforts

A man walks near a gate way near the flood devastated Nanxinfang village on the outskirts of Beijing, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. Heavy rain and high water levels on rivers in northeastern China were threatening cities downstream on Friday, prompting the evacuation of thousands, although the country appears to have averted the worst effects of the typhoon season battering parts of east Asia. - AP

SHANGHAI (Reuters): Authorities in northeastern China raised their emergency response level on Sunday (Aug 6) as tributaries of the Songhua, a major river, rose to dangerous levels after days of heavy rain caused by Typhoon Doksuri.

China's Ministry of Water Resources said it raised the response for flooding to Level III at 10 a.m. (0200 GMT) in Inner Mongolia, Jilin and Heilongjiang. China uses a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I the most urgent.