South China's Guangdong raises emergency response to highest for approaching typhoon

GUANGZHOU -- South China's Guangdong province raised its wind emergency response to the highest level at 10 am Tuesday, as Typhoon Ragasa is forecast to make landfall along the central or western coastal areas of the province as a strong or super strong typhoon within 24 hours.

Typhoon Ragasa entered the South China Sea late Monday and is forecast to move northwest at a speed of about 20 km per hour. It is expected to land in the coastal areas from Zhuhai city to Xuwen county on Wednesday, packing winds of 40 to 55 meters per second, according to the provincial meteorological observatory.

The typhoon is expected to bring rainstorms and strong winds, with some areas facing extreme precipitation, while regions directly in the path of its center could experience gusts of up to 60 meters per second.

The provincial flood, drought and wind control headquarters have urged all localities and departments to act with the highest standards, strictest requirements and most concrete measures, and have ordered major affected areas to suspend classes, work, production, public transportation and business operations. Cities including Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Jiangmen have implemented these suspensions.

Some highway sections and bridges in Zhuhai have been closed, and the Zhuhai Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has suspended outbound passenger clearance, with the main bridge closed simultaneously.

In the neighboring Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, all passenger and ferry ships in the coastal waters of Guangxi have been suspended.

Maritime authorities in Guangxi's Beihai city have restricted the Beihai-Weizhou Island passenger ship route to disembarkation only, with no boarding allowed, and the evacuation of the remaining 6,000 tourists from Weizhou Island to Beihai is scheduled for completion on Tuesday.

The typhoon is also expected to impact the island province of Hainan, with the provincial capital Haikou to suspend classes, ferry services, park operations, work and business activities starting later on Tuesday or Wednesday. All train services to and from the island will be canceled on Wednesday.

China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response.