Beijing July 27:
According to reporting by The Guardian, more than 715,000 people were relocated to safer areas across Guangdong Province as authorities prepared for dangerous flooding, strong winds, and potential landslides.
Emergency services remained on high alert throughout the region while officials closely monitored rivers, mountain communities, construction sites, valleys, and bridges vulnerable to flash flooding.
China also issued its highest-level flash flood warning in several provinces as forecasters predicted prolonged heavy rainfall.
Ten people were killed in rain-triggered floods in China as Typhoon Noul made landfall early Sunday in the southern province of Guangdong. Noul, the 12th and the strongest typhoon to hit China so far this year, made landfall at Huizhou city in Guangdong around 3:50 am, bringing gale-force winds and heavy rain to large parts of the region.
Rain-triggered flash floods killed 10 in China’s Gansu scenic area, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
China’s National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief activated a Level-IV national disaster relief emergency response for Guangdong. Level-IV is the least severe tier in the four-tier emergency response system. Level I is the most critical/severe.
The typhoon packed winds of up to 162 kilometres per hour, slightly stronger than Typhoon Bavi, which struck eastern and northeastern China about two weeks ago, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
A working team has been dispatched to the affected areas to assess the situation and assist local authorities in relocating and resettling residents, besides ensuring their basic living needs.
Ahead of the typhoon’s landfall, China’s national observatory on Saturday issued a red alert, the highest level in the country’s four-tier colour-coded typhoon warning system. Red is followed by orange, yellow and blue.
China’s National Meteorological Center forecast heavy to torrential rainfall across much of southern China from Sunday through Monday morning. Some areas, particularly Fujian Province, were expected to receive extremely heavy to exceptional downpours.
As Noul continued moving inland, nearby provinces including Jiangxi and Hunan were forecast to experience strong winds and persistent rainfall through Tuesday, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides. Authorities urged local governments to strengthen flood prevention measures and closely monitor areas most vulnerable to natural disasters.
The storm caused major disruptions to transportation across the region.
Train services throughout Guangdong Province were suspended on Sunday as a precaution against severe weather.
In Hong Kong, the Airport Authority confirmed that approximately 350 flights were canceled because of the typhoon. Officials said flight operations were expected to gradually resume later on Sunday as weather conditions improved.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that powerful winds uprooted numerous trees in Huilai County, located along Guangdong’s coastline.
In Hong Kong, strong winds caused sections of scaffolding attached to a high-rise building to collapse on Saturday. Police said there were no initial reports of injuries resulting from the incident.
Authorities also confirmed that at least nine people were injured across Hong Kong during the typhoon period, though none of the reported injuries were immediately described as serious.