HARBIN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has raised its flood-control response from Level III to Level II, local authorities said.

The latest response, the second-highest in the four-tier emergency response system, was activated at 8 p.m. on Friday, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Affected by recent continuous downpours, the province has seen water levels exceeding the warning mark by 0.14 to 1.4 meters at sections of the Heilong River, the Songhua River and the Nenjiang River.

According to the headquarters, the Dongji hydrological Station along the border river of Heilong, also known as the Amur River in Russia, is expected to see a record level of 39.7 meters around Sunday.

The province activated Level IV and Level III emergency responses for flood control on September 2 and 11 respectively, calling on all departments in the province to strengthen measures of forecasting, warnings, and emergency rescue.