FUZHOU - The China Meteorological Administration initiated a Level II emergency response for major meteorological disasters on Wednesday noon, after China's National Meteorological Center issued a red alert for Typhoon Gaemi in the morning of the day.
The center of Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the country's southern regions. It was located 195 kilometers southeast off Taiwan's Yilan county at 9 am and is forecast to travel northwestward at a speed of 10 to 15 km per hour, according to the meteorological center.
The typhoon is expected to make landfall along the coast between Hualien and Keelong in Taiwan on Wednesday night. After crossing the island, it is projected to make a second landfall on Thursday afternoon or evening along the coast between Fuding and Jinjiang in Fujian province.
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The typhoon will move further northward to inland areas of China, where its intensity will gradually decrease, the meteorological center said.
Gales are forecast to sweep parts of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea — including the waters near the Diaoyu Islands — the South China Sea, the Bashi Channel and the Taiwan Strait from 2 pm Wednesday to 2 pm Thursday, it said.
During the same period, parts of Fujian, Taiwan and Zhejiang are expected to see heavy rainstorms, with precipitation of up to 600 millimeters, the meteorological center said.
Local authorities are urged to prepare emergency typhoon response measures and remain on high alert for possible flooding and geological disasters.
Fujian province has announced the suspension of all its passenger train services on Thursday and some on Friday due to Gaemi, said local authorities on Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, Fujian upgraded the emergency response level for typhoons from Level III to Level II and activated a level IV emergency response for rainstorms, as Gaemi is projected to make landfall along the province's coast on Thursday.
So far, Fuzhou Changle International Airport in Fujian has canceled 13 flights, and the departure of multiple flights has been delayed.
As of 10 am Wednesday, a total of 66 passenger ferry routes and 180 passenger ferry vessels along the coast of Fujian have been suspended. The passenger ferry services in the cities of Ningde, Fuzhou, Pingtan and Quanzhou have all been halted, and some ferry routes in Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Putian are also being gradually suspended.
The Fujian Maritime Safety Administration has dispatched four rescue helicopters and three professional rescue vessels on standby along the province's coast, and 49 patrol boats and 104 tugs are also ready for emergency response.
China Railway Nanchang Group Co Ltd. has also prepared more than 500 large-scale emergency repair machines, with over 4,000 people on standby.
The typhoon is expected to make landfall along the coast of central or northern Taiwan on Wednesday night. After crossing the island, it is projected to make landfall between Thursday afternoon and midnight along the coast between Fujian's Fuding and Jinjiang, according to the meteorological authorities in Fujian.
With Xinhua inputs
