BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) — China raised its emergency response for flood control and typhoon prevention in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces from Level III to Level II on Friday upon instructions from the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, reported Xinhua.
The headquarters also launched a Level IV emergency response for flood control in Hebei and Liaoning provinces, according to the Emergency Management Ministry.
Two working groups have been dispatched by the headquarters to Zhejiang and Fujian to assist and guide local flood control and typhoon response efforts.
As of 6 pm on Friday, Typhoon Bavi, the ninth typhoon of the year, was centred over the sea about 800 kilometres (km) southeast of the border area between Zhejiang and Fujian.
The typhoon was packing maximum sustained winds of 40 metres per second near its centre.
Bavi is expected to move northwest at 20 to 25 kilometres per hour, gaining further strength as it approaches the coasts of Zhejiang and Fujian.
It is forecast to make landfall in the early hours of Sunday along the coast between Xiapu County in Fujian Province and Wenling City in Zhejiang Province, with maximum sustained winds of 38 to 45 metres per second.
Under the influence of the typhoon, torrential to extremely heavy rainfall is forecast to hit southeastern Zhejiang and northeastern Fujian from Friday to Saturday.
Over the next three days, heavy to torrential rain is also expected across parts of north China and northeast China, with some areas in northeastern Hebei and northern Liaoning likely to experience exceptionally heavy downpours.
China’s Water Resources Ministry on Friday held a special consultation meeting to assess the development of Typhoon Bavi and arrange flood-prevention measures in response to the approaching storm and widespread heavy rainfall.
It activated a Level IV emergency response for flood prevention in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and dispatched two working groups to assist local authorities with flood control efforts.
On the same day, the ministry launched a Level IV flood emergency response in Sichuan Province.
According to forecasts, moderate to heavy rainfall is expected across central and western Sichuan from 8 pm on July 10 to 8 am on July 12, with torrential rain forecast in some areas.
The ministry also activated a Level IV flood emergency response for Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei on Friday.
According to weather forecasts, torrential to extremely heavy rainfall is expected in Beijing, Tianjin and central and northern Hebei from July 10 to 11.
