Typhoon Linfa disrupts Guangdong

Typhoon Linfa made landfall on Thursday in Guangdong province, as trains were suspended, schools closed and thousands of fishing boats recalled to port.

Linfa made landfall in Shanwei at 12:15 pm, with winds of up to 126 km/h, according to the provincial meteorological station.

From Wednesday night, gales and torrential rains hit Shantou, about 100 km from Shanwei. Trees were uprooted, and three main bridges to the city and an offshore island county had been closed as of Thursday morning.

Linfa, which several times changed route and intensity, was earlier expected to make landfall on the coastal regions from Shantou in Guangdong to Zhangpu in Fujian province.

About 10,400 fishing vessels returned to port in five Guangdong cities.

The province issued an alert for Linfa on Wednesday, closing kindergartens, elementary and middle schools in 15 counties.

Meanwhile, another Typhoon, Chan-Hom, is quickly approaching east China.

As of 11 am Thursday, the center of Chan-Hom was located 1,000 km southeast of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, with winds of up to 144 km/h. It had moved 70 km northwest in three hours while maintaining its intensity, according to the Zhejiang meteorological station.

Chan-Hom is expected to make landfall in Zhejiang late on Friday night or Saturday morning as a super typhoon, according to the station.

All 7,672 fishing boats in Wenzhou were called back to harbor as the city issued a yellow alert on Thursday morning. Heavy rain is expected in the city from Friday night to Saturday.

Zhejiang suspended its direct shipping route to Taiwan on Thursday for safety reasons. Travelers who have bought tickets can reschedule for free or get a full refund, according to the county government of Yuhuan.

Railway authorities in Shanghai plan to suspend all passenger trains along the coast on Friday and Saturday.

On Wednesday, the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs urged Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shanghai and Zhejiang to set up dedicated teams to track the two typhoons and disseminate information.

(China Daily 07/10/2015 page5)