BEIJING, Sept. 19 -- China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has activated a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in nine provincial-level regions.

These include Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Guizhou and Shaanxi, as well as southwest China's Chongqing and Sichuan. Authorities have dispatched work teams to Chongqing and Sichuan.

Heavy rainfall is expected to lash these regions from Monday, and some places are likely to experience thunderstorms and gales.

Local governments have been urged to closely monitor the precipitation level, strengthen the response to natural disasters and floods in small and medium-sized rivers, ensure the safety of reservoirs, and deal with urban waterlogging in a timely manner.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response.