Francis Markus, IFRC, in Chengdu
Red cross volunteers and staff have been rushing relief supplies of food and warm quilts to survivors of China's May 12 earthquake, as local authorities said at least 14 people died and several more were missing after floods and landslides brought by torrential rains.
In Sichuan Province's Beichuan county, one of the areas worst affected by the May 12 earthquake, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) delivered 800 quilts along with hundreds of packages of food, including instant noodles to those affected by flash floods.
"Many of the prefabricated temporary shelters here are a meter deep in water and some people have had to be relocated to a school on higher ground," said Song Zhongjin, head of the local RCSC branch.
The heavy rains over the past two days in Sichuan add to the difficulties faced by survivors of the quake, which left about 87,000 people dead or missing. Hundreds of thousands have been moved out of tents and into temporary shelters.
Both the government and RCSC, together with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, are working to finalise detailed plans for the reconstruction of permanent housing.
"The way in which flooding and landslides have increased people's vulnerability shows how vital the task of reconstruction to build better and safer communities is," says Sheila Thornton, head of the International Federation's office in Sichuan.
In the weeks following the disaster, the International Federation delivered 100,000 tents to provide shelter for survivors and deployed three emergency units to provide clean drinking water and mass sanitation, effectively helping to prevent outbreaks of disease.
Sichuan was not the only part of China to be battered by heavy rains. In Southern China's Guangdong Province, Red Cross volunteers and staff swung into action to provide relief supplies to communities hit by Typhoon Hagupit, which is reported to have left a total of 18 people dead.
Wu Xiaoyi, head of Guangdong Province's RCSC Relief Department, had to take a boat to reach the island of Haiming, off the province's coast, which is home to 100,000 people and was cut off when parts of the causeway serving it were washed away.
He said RCSC volunteers and staff had already delivered supplies of rice, medicines and disinfectant to the island, to help support the communities there while the causeway was repaired - a task expected to take several days.
Mr Wu said RCSC emergency supplies of food, clothing and hygiene items had also been delivered to 1,500 households on the mainland.
"A lot of rice ready to be harvested has been lost, plantain trees have been destroyed and roofs have been damaged or blown away," he said.
Local RCSC branches "have been working hard to raise donations" to help the families affected.
Typhoon Hagupit has now crossed into Vietnam, where it has weakened into a tropical storm. But RCSC branches in southern China are carefully monitoring the approach of Jangmi, currently reported to be moving towards the Philippines island of Luzon.