BEIJING — The central government has earmarked 150 million yuan (about $21.2 million) to support flood control and relief in three provinces, the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) said on June 30.

Designated for Sichuan, Guizhou and Hunan, the funds were allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the MEM after a level-IV emergency response, the lowest in the country's four-tier warning system, which was activated for the flood-hit regions.

The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the MEM have also sent special work teams to the hardest-hit areas in the three provinces to provide guidance in disaster relief.

Since the beginning of June, floods have affected about 12 million people in 13 provincial-level regions in southern China.