Update: People evacuated, flights canceled as south China braces for Typhoon Wutip

GUANGZHOU, June 13 (Xinhua) -- As Wutip, the first typhoon of the year, approaches, southern Chinese provincial regions have activated emergency response measures, evacuated people to safe places, canceled flights and organized rescue teams.

Guangdong Province elevated its emergency response to Level III on Friday morning, and readied 10 rescue vessels and five helicopters with 34 tugboats for 24-hour availability in key waters across the province. More than 49,000 fishing boats have returned to port, with over 10,000 crew members coming ashore for safety.

According to the Guangdong provincial meteorological observatory, the province will see its heaviest rainfall since the beginning of this flood season between Friday and Monday. The observatory has also warned of the risk of tornadoes in some areas of Guangdong from Friday to Sunday.

Water conservancy authorities in Guangdong forecast that rivers will rise by 2 to 6 meters, with some exceeding warning levels. Local governments have deployed 12 rescue teams with a total of 324 members, as well as sufficient disaster relief resources.

On the island province of Hainan, 26,635 people have been evacuated from dilapidated buildings, construction sites, low-lying areas prone to flooding, and regions at risk of flash floods as of noon on Friday.

According to the provincial emergency management headquarters at the same time on Friday, the province is maintaining its Level-III flood control and typhoon emergency response. Seven cities and counties, including Sanya, Danzhou, Baisha and Dongfang, have upgraded their flood control and typhoon emergency response to Level II.

All of the province's 30,721 fishing vessels have either returned to port or taken shelter elsewhere, with over 40,000 people who had been working aboard the vessels having been evacuated ashore.

Wutip intensified into a severe tropical storm at 8 p.m. Thursday. At 4 p.m. Friday, it was located near the coast of Dongfang City, Hainan, with winds reaching up to 108 kilometers per hour and moving northward at speeds of 10 kilometers per hour.

In the early hours of Friday, 12 crew members were rescued from a ship off the coast in Hainan. The evacuees will be taken ashore when weather permits.

All kindergartens, schools, construction sites and tourist attractions in Sanya have been closed. Ships are prohibited from sailing, and Sanya airport has suspended all flights since 10 p.m. Thursday. High-speed rail services across Hainan have been halted, with operations expected to resume on Saturday.

As of noon on Friday, 17 counties and cities in Hainan have suspended classes, nine have suspended work, one has suspended business operations, two have halted transportation, six have suspended flights, and 15 have closed tourist attractions.

The Nanhai Rescue Bureau is monitoring Wutip closely, with seven rescue vessels and four helicopters on standby to respond to emergencies.

It is expected that in the next 24 hours, most villages and townships in 10 counties and cities, including Sanya and Danzhou, will experience heavy precipitation of over 100 millimeters. Among them, some villages and townships in three counties and cities -- Ledong, Dongfang and Changjiang -- will experience heavy precipitation of over 250 millimeters. Five counties and cities have issued red alerts for heavy rains.

The maritime safety administration of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region upgraded its flood control and typhoon emergency response from Level III to Level II at 9 a.m. on Friday.

As of noon on Friday, all 2,285 people on the drilling platforms in Guangxi had been evacuated to safe areas, said the administration.

The administration has also sent three typhoon prevention supervision teams to its sub-administrations of Beihai, Qinzhou and Fangchenggang to carry out typhoon prevention work. ■