China initiated a level-four emergency response on Friday to cope with the chaos caused by storms sweeping its southern provinces.

Villagers receive relief materials in Tianxin Village, Egong Town of Dingnan County in east China's Jiangxi Province, May 7, 2010. Seven people were dead and five were missing after floods and landslides wreaked havoc in Jiangxi over the past two days.[Xinhua]

Heavy rain has poured down in south China since Wednesday, including provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan and Guizhou, causing floods, mountain torrents and mud flows, said the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in a statement on its website.

As of Friday, the storms had affected up to 2.55 million people and 100,000 hectares of arable land, leaving 65 people dead, 14 missing.

The office has ordered local authorities to closely monitor the development of the rainstorms, prevent weather-triggered disasters like floods and landslides and provide early warnings.

The office has also dispatched working teams to storm-hit regions to enhance storm-relief work, it said.