S China braces for strong tropical storm

BEIJING - The Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Sunday that 120 million yuan ($19 million) has been allocated to help the cities of Beijing and Tianjin and neighboring Hebei province to fight floods.

The fund, allocated by the MOF and the Ministry of Water Resources, will be spent on repairs for flood-damaged water conservancy facilities in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, supporting flood control in these areas, the MOF said in a statement on its website.

At least 37 people have died and more than 50,000 have been relocated following a Saturday thunderstorm that was the heaviest storm to hit Beijing in 61 years, the municipal flood control headquarters said Sunday.

More than 70,000 people were relocated due to downpours in Hebei, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The country's top flood control authority is still verifying statistics for the downpours.