GUANGZHOU, July 25 (Xinhua) -- More than 340,000 people had been relocated in south China's Guangdong Province by 4 p.m. Saturday as Typhoon Noul approached the coast, the provincial flood, drought and typhoon control authorities said.
Typhoon Noul, the 12th typhoon of the year, is expected to make landfall along the coast between Shenzhen and Huilai in Guangdong between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, with an intensity ranging from typhoon to severe typhoon level.
China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters raised its emergency response for flood and typhoon control in Guangdong to Level III on Saturday.
A total of 19 cities and 135 county-level regions in Guangdong had activated emergency responses for strong winds or flooding by 4 p.m. Saturday. Shanwei and Huizhou, along with 10 county-level regions, launched the highest-level response, while 12 cities introduced full or partial shutdown measures.
Maritime authorities have guided 5,109 vessels in Guangdong's coastal waters to safe areas. Another 418 vessels were directed across jurisdictional boundaries to shelter in western Guangdong, Hainan Province and waters off northern Fujian Province.
Guangdong has deployed 14 professional rescue and salvage vessels, 90 high-powered tugboats and four rescue helicopters. Sixteen provincial-level water conservancy emergency teams and 70 sub-teams are on standby.
Affected by the typhoon, parts of the northeastern South China Sea, the eastern coast of Guangdong and the Pearl River Estuary are expected to experience gusts of force 12 to 13. Heavy rainfall is forecast for parts of Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi. ■
