South China on alert for 13th typhoon to arrive this year
Print Edition
THOUSANDS of people were evacuated yesterday in parts of south China ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Hato, set to make landfall today.
The eye of Hato, the 13th typhoon to hit China this year, was recorded 415 kilometers southeast of Zhuhai in Guangdong as of 9pm yesterday. It is expected to move northwest at speeds between 20 and 25 kilometers per hour, according to Guangdong provincial meteorological bureau.
The State Oceanic Administration issued an orange alert for storm tides and estimated the sea levels off Guangdong and neighboring Fujian Province will rise by up to 180 centimeters.
In China’s four-tier severe weather warning system, red is the most serious alert, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
In Fujian, more than 4,000 fish farmers and their families returned to shore on Monday and all fishing boats returned to harbor yesterday.
The typhoon is expected to bring rain and gales with a maximum speed of around 40 meters per second to seas off the coast of Fujian.
Around 90 high-speed trains between Shenzhen and cities in Fujian and Jiangxi provinces have been canceled today.
The southwestern province of Guizhou also started disaster alert measures ahead of the typhoon’s arrival.
From now to Friday, Guizhou will see rainstorms in its western and southern areas. Some regions are expected to receive over 300 millimeters.
Civil affairs departments in several southern provinces were asked to remain on duty around the clock, according to a notice issued by China National Commission for Disaster Reduction, in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The notice asked local authorities to publicize forecasts regarding Hato and its predicted routes to enable residents to move to safe places and ships to return to harbor.
Departments should inform residents in typhoon-affected areas to stockpile enough daily necessities for one to three days, the notice said, adding that relief materials and funds should also be prepared.
Meanwhile, widespread flight cancelations were set to bring chaos to Hong Kong’s busy international airport.
Forecasters said Hato would pass within 100km of Hong Kong this morning, “posing considerable threat.” It warned of strong winds, rough seas and possible flooding.
Cathay Pacific said almost all its flights between 6am and 5pm today would be axed.
Hong Kong Airlines also canceled all its flights from 7am to 5pm and other carriers have already posted cancelations.
The city’s airport authority said passengers should confirm flights before heading to the airport. “As Typhoon Hato gradually approaches, flights at the Hong Kong International Airport will be affected all day tomorrow,” it said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
