HANGZHOU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- East China's Zhejiang Province raised its typhoon emergency response to Level I, the highest level, at 8 p.m. Thursday as Typhoon Saudel, the 18th typhoon of this year, is forecast to make landfall in the province.
At 5 p.m., the typhoon's center was located about 320 km east of Wenzhou, packing maximum wind speeds of 45 meters per second near its center. It is moving at 10 to 15 km per hour and is expected to make landfall along the coast of Zhejiang from early morning to afternoon on Friday.
Hu Yaowen, chief engineer of the Zhejiang Provincial Emergency Management Department, warned that the typhoon's impact coincides with the astronomical high tide, likely creating a combination of strong winds, towering waves, high tides and heavy rainfall.
He added that previous continuous heavy rains have kept rivers, lakes and reservoirs at high levels, and the new round of downpours could easily trigger mountain torrents, mudslides and landslides.
To prepare for the typhoon, Zhejiang has carried out comprehensive risk inspections. More than 4,000 monitoring personnel have conducted over 19,000 patrols at more than 7,200 geological hazard potential sites and risk zones, while 564 geological experts have been dispatched to 73 counties to assist in risk identification.
In terms of flood control, plain river networks across the province have drained 437 million cubic meters of water, and large and medium-sized reservoirs have pre-released 456 million cubic meters.
All 14,682 marine fishing vessels in Zhejiang have taken shelter in harbors, and 47,983 crew members and 1,906 aquaculture workers have been evacuated ashore, ensuring that no people, vessels or activities remain at sea. ■
