Typhoon Saola Churns Toward South China, Suspending Transport And Delaying The School Year

BEIJING, China: According to Chinese official media, at least 121 passenger trains have been suspended in preparation for the arrival of Typhoon Saola. People in southern China were cautioned to avoid the seaside, and several cities postponed the start of the school year.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, the suspension of important lines running north to south, as well as regional networks, will begin Thursday and last until September 6.

Saola was traveling towards the coast at around 15 kph (9 mph) and was expected to make landfall Friday afternoon in the southern province of Guangzhou with sustained winds of 119 kph (74 mph) and gusts of up to 220 kph (137 mph).

The storm will then move west down the coast towards Guangxi before veering south to sea between Saturday night and Sunday morning, gradually weakening as it travels.

Classes, transport and most commercial activity have been halted in Shanwei, Guangdong, the city closest to where Saola is likely to make landfall. Other cities, including Shantou, Shanwei, Jieyang, and Chaozhou, have delayed the start of the school year until Monday. Flights have also been canceled at regional airports until the storm passes.

At least 121 passenger trains have been suspended in preparation for the arrival of Typhoon Saola.

The meteorological service has already issued a red warning for potentially damaging gusts and flooding, with some places expecting up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain.

Other common safety steps include returning fishing boats to port and relocating workers working on coastal fish and shrimp farms inland, but data on evacuations still need to be published.

As the storm approached Hong Kong, the city’s leader, John Lee, stated in a Facebook post that he had asked several government departments to prepare and advised citizens to take precautions.

The Hong Kong Observatory plans to issue a No. 8 typhoon signal, the city’s third-highest warning level, for early Friday, and schools will be closed, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said during a news conference.

The observatory warned of squally showers, strong gusts, and a probable storm surge in the city’s low-lying sections. It advised locals to avoid water sports and to avoid coastal locations.

On Wednesday, Saola passed just south of Taiwan before heading to mainland China, with the storm’s outer bands dumping heavy rain and strong winds on the island’s southern cities.

The typhoon also hit the Philippines earlier this week, although there have been no reports of injuries so far. However, low-lying settlements in the northern half of the islands were inundated, displacing roughly 50,000 people, including 35,000 peasants who evacuated to government-run evacuation centers. Due to strong seas, seaports ceased inter-island ferry services, and more than a hundred residences were damaged.

Meanwhile, a second storm, Haikui, is forming near Japan’s Ryukyu islands and will strengthen into a typhoon as it advances towards the Chinese coast, where it is anticipated to make landfall south of Shanghai on Sunday morning with sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour (102 miles per hour).

The storms come on the heels of some of the heaviest rains and deadliest flooding in years across a vast expanse of China, killing many, including in outlying mountainous areas of the capital, Beijing.

The US Embassy in Beijing and consulates across the country urged residents to take care and avoid locations that were likely to be affected.

“Damaging winds, heavy rains, potential flooding, mudslides, and difficult travel conditions, including potential transportation disruptions in coastal and inland areas, are expected in Southern and Eastern China, with severe weather forecasted from September 1 to September 4,” according to the statement.

SOURCE – (AP)