BEIJING, July 26 -- China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Wednesday raised its emergency response for typhoons and flooding to Level III as Typhoon Doksuri is forecast to make landfall in south China on Friday.
Four teams have been sent to the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi to assist in local flood and typhoon prevention efforts, according to the headquarters.
China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most urgent response.
Doksuri is expected to enter the northeastern part of the South China Sea between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, and make landfall between Fuqing City in Fujian Province and Huilai County in Guangdong Province, according to the headquarters.
The typhoon is forecast to travel deep inland and move northward, which could affect provincial regions such as Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing, the headquarters said, adding that the country faces a severe situation in coping with the typhoon and flooding.
All local governments are required to make detailed emergency response plans, strengthen weak links related to geographical disasters, waterlogging and small reservoirs, call back ships from the sea, and evacuate residents from dangerous areas, according to the headquarters.
The Ministry of Emergency Management said it has optimized and coordinated emergency response forces across different regions, with over 4,000 personnel and five helicopters on standby.
The National Meteorological Center on Wednesday morning issued a red alert for Typhoon Doksuri, the most severe warning in its four-tier warning system, as the typhoon is expected to bring gales and heavy rains to eastern and southern parts of the country.
The typhoon, observed over the ocean about 290 kilometers south of Eluanbi at the southernmost tip of China's Taiwan at 2 p.m. Wednesday, is expected to move northwest at a speed of 10 to 15 kilometers per hour. The maximum wind speed near Doksuri's eye could reach super typhoon levels of 55 meters per second, according to the center.
