The government has allocated three billion yuan from the central budget reserve funds to Henan province for post-flood reconstruction, said Zhou Xuewen, secretary-general of the National Flood Control and Drought Relief Command Headquarters, during a press conference organized by the State Council Information Office on Wednesday. 

More than 15.4 million people in 21 provinces and regions, including Henan and Shanxi provinces are affected by floods since July 17, officials said. Around 96 people have died or have gone missing in the flood. Authorities relocated more than 1.614 million people to safe places.

According to officials, since the flood season started this year, the national average precipitation is 314.8 millimeters, 1.1 percent less than normal in the same period of the year.

However, some areas such as northeastern China, the Huanghuai region, and the Haihe region had more rainfall in limited periods of time. For example, on July 20, the maximum hourly rainfall in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province reached 201.9 millimeters, breaking the historical extreme value of hourly rain in China, which was 198 millimeters.

The situation in Henan remains critical. To fight floods in Henan, the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force have sent 46,000 personnel. In addition, around 61,000 personnel from the Militia of China also took part in the rescue work. Besides, about 4,000 firefighters from 12 provinces assisted in the rescue operations.