BEIJING, July 14 -- China's national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief on Tuesday activated a Level-IV national disaster relief emergency response for northeast China's Liaoning Province, which was hit by rainstorms and flooding.

A working team has been dispatched to the disaster-hit areas to assess the situation and assist local authorities in ensuring the basic needs of affected residents, the commission said.

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

As the northward-moving Typhoon Bavi brought extreme downpours to Liaoning, the rain is expected to persist from Monday noon through Tuesday daytime, with extreme downpours in certain areas, according to the provincial meteorological observatory. By 4 p.m. on Monday, more than 260,000 people had been relocated to safe places in the province.