Southeast China braces for twin typhoons

World Today

People along the southeastern coast of China are bracing for two large storms that are hurtling through the Pacific Ocean.

The country’s weather bureau has issued the third-highest alert for Typhoon Linfa, which is forecast to make a landfall in Guangdong and Fujian provinces late on Wednesday or early Thursday morning.

The storm is expected to bring gales of up to 30 meters per second, warned the National Meteorological Center.

Around 15 counties in Guangdong have decided to shut schools. In the city of Shantou, the local marine bureau has asked over 2,000 fishing boats and commercial ships to return to the harbor for shelter. They’ve also sent out patrol ships to make sure that each boat is secured at the docks.

Meanwhile, in Fujian, nearly 10,000 people have already been relocated to safety. A level-three emergency response has been initiated, and ferry services on two routes linking Fujian and Taiwan were suspended on Tuesday.

There is, however, some uncertainty about the path of Typhoon Chan-Hom, although it is currently expected that it will make landfall as early as Friday evening along the shoreline near Shanghai.

Preparing for the storm, the city’s railway bureau has said that it is going to suspend all passenger trains along the coast on Friday and Saturday, the Shanghai Daily reported.

Story by CCTV News