BEIJING -- The Chinese government on Friday earmarked 1.36 billion yuan ($218 million) to help victims of natural disasters fight starvation and low temperatures in winter and the coming spring.

Allocated by the ministries of finance and civil affairs, the funds mark the second batch of funds allocated for natural disaster relief following a 5.44-billion-yuan allocation from the central government last December.

The ministries urged local governments to add the money to local relief funds and use it to meet disaster victims' basic needs, such as food and clothes.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has also arranged for more than 7,000 cotton-padded tents and 140,000 sets of cotton quilts and clothes to be sent to people affected by cold weather.

Many regions in China have witnessed severe cold weather this winter. In Guizhou province, more than 400 houses collapsed due to heavy snowfalls and more than 600 livestock froze to death. The cold has also wreaked havoc on crops, sending vegetables prices soaring.