GUANGZHOU, July 28 – Local authorities in Central China’s Hunan and Jiangxi provinces have been on high alert, evacuating residents and stockpiling flood-control supplies as Typhoon Noul continued to move deeper inland.
The typhoon, the 12th of the year, weakened into a tropical depression on Sunday night and moved into Hunan early on Monday, according to the National Meteorological Center.
Hunan has experienced a round of heavy rainfall and strong winds brought on by the typhoon. From 7 am on Sunday to 7 am on Monday, torrential rains hit 19 townships across 10 county-level areas in cities including Chenzhou, Changde and Shaoyang, according to Hunan Daily.
The heaviest precipitation was recorded in Xinfang township, Chenzhou, reaching 223.1 millimeters. The strongest hourly rainfall was reported in Xianyu township, Zhuzhou, with 57.4 mm recorded between 1 pm and 2 pm on Sunday. Meanwhile, 144 weather stations across all 14 prefecture-level cities and autonomous prefectures in Hunan recorded winds exceeding force 8 on the Beaufort scale, the report said.
The Hunan provincial meteorological bureau has maintained a Level III emergency response for severe weather since 11 am on Sunday, said Tang Jie, director of the bureau’s emergency response and disaster mitigation division, on Monday afternoon.
“Although Typhoon Noul has weakened, its residual circulation is still lingering over Hunan,” Tang said, adding that the likelihood of widespread heavy rainfall across the province has decreased, but localized torrential rain and severe convective weather remain possible.
He warned that such intense rainfall is more likely to occur in mountainous areas, many of which are already prone to geological hazards.
In Chenzhou, local authorities have relocated more than 44,300 people as part of emergency response efforts, according to Zhou Yang, an official with the city’s emergency management bureau.
The city has also deployed more than 21,800 officials to assist with disaster prevention and controlled 53 areas vulnerable to urban flooding. Authorities have strengthened communication support and prepared sufficient flood-control supplies, including sandbags, gravel, stones, life jackets and lifebuoys.
In Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, parts of the city were hit by heavy rainfall and strong winds from Sunday afternoon due to Typhoon Noul.
In Taojiang township, Longnan city, power facilities were damaged by the severe weather, and local electricity workers immediately began repair operations, according to a report from China Media Group.
Authorities in Ganzhou have organized the orderly evacuation of residents in high-risk areas, including areas vulnerable to geological disasters, river flooding and waterlogging. By 9 pm on Sunday, a total of 7,737 people had been relocated, the report said.
As Typhoon Noul moved away from Guangdong province, transportation services in the province gradually returned to normal. Expressways previously subject to temporary traffic control measures were largely reopened, while railway services were expected to resume regular operations.
Railway authorities said normal operations had resumed on the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway as of 8 am on Monday. The Beijing-Kowloon Railway service was expected to resume at 2 pm, and Ganzhou-Shaoguan Railway operations were estimated to resume at 8 pm.
Following an assessment by authorities in Guangdong, as well as the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, ports at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge resumed partial operations starting at noon on Monday.
