2010-05-10 22:28

BEIJING - China's disaster relief authorities Monday launched an emergency response plan to cope with flooding in south China's Guangdong Province that left 19 people dead and more than 1 million affected.

A level IV plan, the lowest of four responses, was initiated by China National Committee for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) and Civil Affairs Ministry Monday.

Under the plan, the committee and the ministry will send a disaster relief working team within 24 hours to the region to guide relief work and help the people affected. The team will also be responsible for gauging damages by flooding.

The storm, which started Wednesday, affected regions in the north and east of Guangdong, including Guangzhou, Qingyuan, Shaoguan and Meizhou.

As of 7 am Monday, the flooding in Guangdong has left at least 19 people dead, six missing, more than 80,000 relocated and 10,174 residential buildings destroyed.

The province's civil affairs office has sent 1,000 quilts, 1,000 blankets and 2,000 sets of clothing to the flooding-stricken areas.