Rainstorms affect 2.8 mln in E China JINAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rain affected nearly 2.83 million people in east China's Shandong Province last week, local authorities said Tuesday. The rain, which lasted from Thursday to Sunday, destroyed 395,200 hectares of crops and toppled 3,695 houses, the provincial bureau of civil affairs said in a statement. The rain inflicted direct economic losses of 2.3 billion yuan (375.7 million U.S. dollars), it said. Average precipitation across the province was 35.6 mm, with 11 counties, cities and districts recording rainfall greater than 100 mm, it added. Long periods of rainy weather that occurred prior to the latest rain saturated the soil, leading to severe flooding and greater losses during the new round of rain, the agency said. Provincial authorities have sent out work groups to help evacuate residents and pump water.