Hong Kong charity Lotus Light Charity Society has announced a plan to visit Central China's Hunan Province this weekend to deliver relief to flood victims.

The society will visit about 4,000 flood victim families in the rural area of Changsha, capital of Hunan, and take about HK$1.5 million (US$192,315)-worth of relief supplies to them, said a spokeswoman surnamed Yau Wednesday.

The fund used to purchase the relief products, including 100,000 kilogrammes of rice packs, 8,000 blankets and 4,000 articles of clothes, is donated by Hong Kong people, Yau said.

Continuous downpours have ravaged Central and South China, causing at least 380 deaths and making millions homeless.

The relief action was originally scheduled on July 3 but had to be postponed as the floods seriously blocked road traffic, Yau said.

Meanwhile, World Vision Hong Kong, another local charity, has also launched its relief drive for the flood victims.

The charity said its relief team on the mainland has already started distributing relief supplies in Yunnan and will launch similar operations in Guangxi and Henan soon.

"Many houses were destroyed in the floods," said the charity's chief executive Kevin Chiu.

"Crops were washed away and the victims have lost all their belongings. They are in urgent need of food and shelter.

"We appeal to the local public to give a helping hand to the flood victims on the mainland," Chiu said.

Donations to World Vision can be deposited in HSBC account 018-377077-003 or Bank of China's account 012-883-0-002502-5.

(China Daily HK Edition July 22, 2004)