Rescuers evacuate flood-affected residents following heavy rainfall in Zhangshi Township of Shaoguan City in Guangdong Province yesterday. The city raised the flood alert to Level I, the highest, yesterday. Its average rainfall since late May has topped all previous records during the same period. Persistent heavy rains have continued to batter southern areas of China, swelling rivers, triggering landslides and prompting the relocation of people in recent days. In Guangdong, around 479,600 people in cities including Shaoguan, Heyuan and Meizhou have been affected. The Central Government yesterday earmarked 200 million yuan (US$29.92 million) of disaster-relief funds.    (Story on P4)                       Xinhua