Some residents of Hebei province who suffered great losses in the recent flooding disaster have received their first round of government compensation as every effort is made to help them return to normal production and order of life.

A total of 1.19 billion yuan ($164 million) has been transferred to accounts of residents in more than 700 villages in cities of Xingtai, Baoding, Langfang and Hengshui, according to Li Na, deputy head of the Hebei Department of Water Resources, according to a report by Hebei Daily on Monday.

The villages are covered by seven flood detention basins that the province has used for diverting and storing floodwaters.

The payments were mainly to compensate the residents for the loss of ruined crops in the basins, the report said.

In the next step, compensation will be paid for losses in other areas, including forests, breeding, properties, agricultural machinery and household durable goods, Li said.