Hainan and Guangdong Provinces in South China are making extensive preparations to confront the imminent arrival of Typhoon Talim, focusing on safeguarding lives and minimizing economic damage, according to provincial authorities on Sunday.
Typhoon Talim, the fourth typhoon of the year, is projected to make landfall between Taishan on Guangdong’s western coast and Wenchang in Hainan Province. If Talim makes landfall as forecast, it will be the first one to do so in China this year. The typhoon is expected to unleash strong gales and storms from Monday night until early Tuesday morning.
In response to the approaching typhoon, Guangdong’s Flood Control, Drought Relief, and Anti-Typhoon Headquarters have elevated their emergency response level to the second tier, effective from 3 pm Sunday. This requires all fishing vessels to seek refuge in typhoon shelters.
To ensure safety, all fishermen and offshore workers have been instructed to return to shore before noon on Monday, as stated in a release by the headquarters on Sunday.
It is expected that within the next 24 hours, some towns in Haikou, Wenchang, Qionghai, Chengmai, Ding’an, Tunchang, Danzhou, Lingao, Changjiang, Baisha, Dongfang, and other cities and counties on Hainan Island will experience precipitation exceeding 100 millimetres.
Qiongzhong, Ledong, Wuzhishan, Wanning, and Sanya are expected to experience precipitation exceeding 50 millimetres.
Government departments in areas susceptible to the typhoon are being urged to proactively prepare for and respond to potential disasters such as flooding, mountain torrents, mudslides, and riverbank breaches. The aim is to prevent and minimize casualties and economic losses in the days ahead.
Local meteorological departments have warned that the accompanying fierce storms of Typhoon Talim are expected to batter coastal cities, potentially leading to significant economic losses for the affected areas on Monday and Tuesday.
The Pearl River delta’s major cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, and Zhaoqing, should also anticipate heavy rainfall in the forthcoming days.
In response to the typhoon, China Railway Guangzhou Group has made the decision to suspend passenger train operations in the cities of Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, Maoming, and Haikou from Monday to Tuesday.
Railway ferry services connecting the mainland to Hainan via the Qiongzhou Strait have been halted since Sunday noon.
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