BEIJING (AP) – Chinese state media report at least 121 passenger trains are suspending service in anticipation of the arrival of Typhoon Saola. People in areas of southern China were warned to stay away from the coastline and several cities delayed the start of the school year.
The suspensions on key lines running from north to south as well as on regional networks began yesterday and continue through September 6, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
China’s National Meteorological Center said Saola was moving toward the coast at a speed of about 15 kilometres per hour (kph) and was due to make landfall today in the southern province of Guangzhou with sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 220kph.
The storm will then travel west down the coast into the Guangxi region before curving south out to sea between tomorrow night and Sunday morning, gradually weakening as it goes.
The Guangdong city of Shanwei, closest to where Saola is expected to make landfall, ordered a halt to classes, transport and most economic activity until the all-clear is sounded.
Other cities, including Shantou, Shanwei, Jieyang and Chaozhou, have ordered the start of the school year to be delayed until Monday.
Regional airports have also suspended flights until the storm passes.
The weather centre has already issued a red alert for potentially destructive winds and possible flooding, with some areas expected to receive up to 200 millimetres of rain.
Other typical safety precautions include recalling fishing boats to port and moving people who work on coastal fish and shrimp farms further inland, but no figures on evacuations were immediately released.
As the storm moved closer to Hong Kong, the city’s leader, John Lee, said in a Facebook post that he had requested various government departments to plan ahead and urged residents to take precautionary measures.
The Hong Kong Observatory plans to issue a number eight typhoon signal, the third-highest warning under the city’s weather system, for today, and schools will be suspended, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said during a news conference.
The observatory warned of squally showers, strengthening winds and a possible storm surge in low-lying areas of the crowded financial centre. They urged residents to avoid water sports and stay away from coastal areas.
