Photo taken on Oct. 8, 2010 shows a waterlogged street in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province. From Sept. 30 to Oct. 8, Hainan saw 608.1 millimeters of rainfall, the highest on record, a statement from China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. More than 210,000 people had been evacuated after about 1,160 villages were submerged by floodwaters as of Thursday. [Xinhua]

China's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Civil Affairs Friday jointly allocated 50 million yuan (US$7.49 million) to southern Hainan Province, which has been battered by rainstorms and floods.

The funds will be mainly used for the evacuation and resettlement of affected local residents, rebuilding damaged houses and for providing life relief and condolence money to families of the victims, the Ministry of Finance said in an online statement.

The flooding, caused by the heaviest torrential rains in Hainan since 1961, has left at least one person dead and three missing. More than 210,000 people were evacuated after about 1,160 villages were submerged by floodwaters.

The downpours, which started on Sept. 30, have caused 1.13 billion yuan in economic losses.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2010)