Chinese authorities have evacuated more than 340,000 people and suspended rail traffic and activities in part of the south of the country, while around fifty flights in Hong Kong were canceled as Typhoon Noul approached.
The typhoon, which threatens to bring torrential rain and strong winds, is expected to make landfall on the coast between Shenzhen and Haifeng in southern Guangdong province early Sunday morning, China’s National Meteorological Center said.
The latter issued a red typhoon alert on Saturday evening, the highest level of its four-level system.
Parts of Guangdong as well as neighboring Hunan and Jiangxi provinces are expected to experience heavy rainfall from Saturday night to Sunday night, according to the meteorological center.
Upon arrival on the coast, the typhoon is expected to be accompanied by sustained winds reaching 151 to 173 km/h.
More than 340,000 people have been evacuated in Guangdong province, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
In 12 cities across the province, including Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shantou, schools and workplaces were closed and transportation suspended, partially or entirely, according to Xinhua.
All rail traffic in the province will be interrupted on Sunday, the CCTV channel said.
Shelters open in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, the world’s financial hub, issued a typhoon alert level 3 on Saturday evening, with local authorities saying they had opened 28 temporary shelters across the city.
The Hong Kong Observatory, its meteorological service, said it was considering raising the alert early Sunday morning. “The winds will strengthen considerably overnight,” he explained.
The city’s airport authority said Saturday that at least 49 flights had been canceled and 238 delayed, adding that “a large number of flights are expected to be disrupted tomorrow.”
The airline Cathay Pacific announced that it had canceled all its flights at Hong Kong International Airport, arriving and departing, between 1:15 a.m. (1:15 p.m. Saturday) and 6 p.m. (5 a.m.) Sunday, due to the typhoon.
“A few other flights will experience delays as we put our flight plan in place to resume operations once the typhoon passes,” she said in a statement on Saturday.
For its part, Shenzhen-Bao’an International Airport, in Guangdong, indicated that airlines would adapt flight schedules on Sunday, between morning and midday “depending on weather conditions”.
“High risk” of disaster
Typhoon Noul “is characterized by strong inland penetration, prolonged duration, significant cumulative precipitation, a trajectory crossing rugged terrain and a high risk of causing disasters,” CCTV said, citing meteorologists. The authorities also raised Guangdong’s emergency measures against floods and typhoons to the third level, on a scale of four, on Saturday afternoon, according to Xinhua.
A level four flood alert has also been issued in Jiangxi and Hunan, the agency added.
Earlier this month, 39 people died when Typhoon Maysak brought heavy rains and severe flooding to the southern Guangxi region.
AFP
Typhoon Maysak was also accompanied by storms and violent winds which left 11 dead and 331 injured in Hubei province (central).
Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events globally will increase as the planet continues to warm due to emissions from fossil fuels.
China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, but it is also a global power in the field of renewable energies which aims to achieve carbon neutrality of its immense economy by 2060.
