75,000 evacuated as storm hits Hainan
Source: Xinhua |
July 30, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MORE than 75,000 people were evacuated before tropical storm Nock-Ten made landfall in the southern island province of Hainan late yesterday afternoon.
Nock-Ten was recorded as packing winds of up to 28 meters per second when landing at Longlou Township in the city of Wenchang at 5:40pm, the provincial meteorological center said.
The storm brought heavy rain and reduced visibility, along with the strong winds.
Before Nock-Ten made landfall, authorities evacuated 75,440 people on the island from coastal fish farms, fishing boats, unsafe houses and low-lying regions and areas downstream from dangerous reservoirs, said Yang Yunxian, director of the provincial flood-control office.
Additionally, more than 26,000 fishing ships returned to port, Yang said.
The local authorities were releasing water from major reservoirs as water levels rose, the official said.
Downpours brought by the tropical storm have halted all shipping across the Qiongzhou Strait, which separates Guangdong Province from the island, as well as some rail services. In addition, 173 flights due to depart or arrive at two airports in Hainan were canceled, airport authorities said.
All scenic tourist spots on Hainan, which styles itself as China's answer to Hawaii or Phuket, were closed for safety reasons.
Nock-Ten, the eighth and most powerful tropical storm to hit China so far this year, was moving northwest at 15 to 20 kilometers an hour and was forecast to enter Beibu Bay this morning. China's meteorological authority said that heavy rains will hit parts of the Sichuan Basin, as well as areas of north China over the next three days. For today, southern coastal areas of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan will see massive downpours, the National Meteorological Center said.
The NMC issued a yellow alert for the storm, warning local authorities and the public to take precautions. The yellow alert is the second-lowest alert level in the country's four-level rainstorm alert system.
The storm previously killed at least 41 people and caused infrastructure and crop damage in the Philippines.
Nock-Ten was recorded as packing winds of up to 28 meters per second when landing at Longlou Township in the city of Wenchang at 5:40pm, the provincial meteorological center said.
The storm brought heavy rain and reduced visibility, along with the strong winds.
Before Nock-Ten made landfall, authorities evacuated 75,440 people on the island from coastal fish farms, fishing boats, unsafe houses and low-lying regions and areas downstream from dangerous reservoirs, said Yang Yunxian, director of the provincial flood-control office.
Additionally, more than 26,000 fishing ships returned to port, Yang said.
The local authorities were releasing water from major reservoirs as water levels rose, the official said.
Downpours brought by the tropical storm have halted all shipping across the Qiongzhou Strait, which separates Guangdong Province from the island, as well as some rail services. In addition, 173 flights due to depart or arrive at two airports in Hainan were canceled, airport authorities said.
All scenic tourist spots on Hainan, which styles itself as China's answer to Hawaii or Phuket, were closed for safety reasons.
Nock-Ten, the eighth and most powerful tropical storm to hit China so far this year, was moving northwest at 15 to 20 kilometers an hour and was forecast to enter Beibu Bay this morning. China's meteorological authority said that heavy rains will hit parts of the Sichuan Basin, as well as areas of north China over the next three days. For today, southern coastal areas of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan will see massive downpours, the National Meteorological Center said.
The NMC issued a yellow alert for the storm, warning local authorities and the public to take precautions. The yellow alert is the second-lowest alert level in the country's four-level rainstorm alert system.
The storm previously killed at least 41 people and caused infrastructure and crop damage in the Philippines.
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