English.news.cn 2014-07-21 22:28:35
BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from super typhoon Rammasun has increased to 33, latest statistics showed on Monday.
Rammasun, the strongest typhoon to hit south China in four decades, brought gales, downpours and floods to a number of southern provinces, affecting more than 8 million people in Hainan, Guangdong, Yunnan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said a statement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Thirteen deaths have been reported in south China's Hainan, nine in Guangxi and 11 in neighboring Yunnan, according to central and local government figures.
A total of 608,000 people have been resettled and over 240,000 are in urgent need of basic necessities.
In Hainan, where Rammasun made landfall on Friday afternoon, more than 3.25 million people in 216 townships have been affected. The province has recorded direct economic losses of over 10.8 billion yuan (1.7 billion U. S. dollars), according to the provincial disaster relief department.
The disaster also triggered rising food prices in Hainan. Prices of some vegetables rose by around 30 percent and the cost of some meat more than doubled.
A second batch of disaster relief supplies from the Red Cross Society of China arrived in the provincial capital of Haikou on Monday. Four hundred family emergency kits will be distributed to disaster-hit areas on Tuesday.
Huang Jie, an official with the Red Cross Society of Hainan, said the organization plans to send 2,500 family emergency kits and 5,000 jackets to the province. Seven hundred kits have arrived so far.
The Red Cross Society of Hainan has also been delivering tents and rice to affected areas.
In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, many coastal cities are flooded and 1.63 million households have been affected by a power cut.
The China Southern Power Grid has organized 25 emergency repair teams and allocated power supply equipment including telegraph poles, wires and transformers to resume supply in places such as hospitals and water plants.
The aquaculture industry in the region is seriously damaged. Many fishermen are busy repairing their fishing boats.
Chen Wu, chairman of the Guangxi government, said authorities of all levels should provide financial aid and technical support to aquaculture farmers who are suffering severe losses.
Despite no deaths so far, Guangdong Province has suffered worst economically, with losses amounting to more than 12.7 billion yuan.