South China braces for arrival of typhoon Talim
Beijing, Jul 17 (EFE).- Towns in southern China announced the suspension of train, flight and boat routes, as well as the closure of schools and factories, over the forecast of tropical storm Talim, due to make landfall Monday, state newspaper Global Times reported.
According to China’s state meteorological center, Talim is expected to impact between southern Guangdong province and northern island province Hainan, bringing strong winds and torrential rains, the regions of Yunnan and Guangxi and the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong.
Talim, expected to produce sustained winds of between 62 km ph and 74 km ph, was 220 kilometers from Macao on Monday morning, on the southeast coast of China.
The storm is expected to strengthen in the coming hours, making landfall in mainland China as a typhoon.
Likewise, the agency said several rivers in the south of the country will suffer overflows that in some cases could trigger alerts by local authorities.
Hainan’s local government issued an island-wide landslide warning Sunday night, prompting a suspension of rail service until Friday.
All flights scheduled Monday at Haikou Meilan and Qionghai Boao international airports have been canceled and more than 26,000 people have been evacuated.
In Hainan’s capital, Haikou, transportation, schools, industry and commerce have been suspended and people have been asked to reduce outdoor activities and prepare to take refuge in safe places.
Numerous shipping lines, trains and flights have also been canceled in Guangzhou and Guangxi as local authorities try to ensure the safety of tourists in coastal areas at the height of the holiday season.
For its part, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange suspended its operations Monday due to the alert decreed by the authorities of the former colony.
Flood season in China is usually from late July to early August, during which time there is often increased tropical cyclone activity, especially in the South China Sea and the Pacific. EFE
aa/lds
