China's first typhoon this year, Wutip, has triggered a series of emergency responses in the country's southern island province of Hainan and nearby Guangdong before making the forecast landfall in the island's southern coast on Friday.
Typhoon Wutip intensified into a severe tropical storm at 08:00 Thursday, when its center was located approximately 95 kilometers south of Sanya in Hainan. The storm is packing winds of up to 25 meters per second, bringing gale-force winds to a broad area, according to the local meteorological bureau.
The bad weather has impacted operation of multiple airports, including those in Hainan and Guangdong as well as in nearby regions like Fujian Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
According to the meteorological center of the Air Traffic Management Bureau under the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Wutip and its peripheral circulation will bring moderate to heavy thunderstorms to south China and the southern part of east China, with some regions even experiencing winds of around 20 meters per second.
In response to Wutip, Sanya Phoenix International Airport suspended the landing and takeoff of all flights starting from 22:00 Thursday and has canceled all the flights scheduled for Friday. The airport expects to resume its air service from Saturday morning.
The emergency response committee at the airport has also established five teams to tackle the situation and has stockpiled 11,400 pieces of materials as part of the transportation facility's effort to implement its flood and wind-prevention work.
Train service has also been affected by the typhoon. China Railway Guangzhou Group has made adjustment to its trains' operation, suspending all the trains in Hainan from 16:00 Thursday to 08:00 Saturday. Besides, some routes in and out of Guangdong also saw part or all of their operating trains be suspended. The local railway department said it will make more timely adjustments in the following days in response to the developments of Wutip.
Some water-based engineering projects have also sustained impacts from the typhoon, with China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)'s four major operation areas at sea, where facilities were expected to experience larger influence from the bad weather, having launched emergency responses.
As of 18:00 Thursday, over 580 workers of CNOOC had been evacuated to safe places by helicopter or vessel.
Currently, Wutip is bringing intensifying winds to more cities in Hainan. Sanya City and Ledong Li Autonomous County were among the first to experience wind up to 25 meters per second in the island. The average wind speed in the coastal region and on land reached above 25 meters per second, with gusts reaching even 32 to 42 meters per second.
A released video showed that at about 08:30 Friday, water was seen running on some roads in Ledong and there were also fallen trees along the roads as the county experienced heavy rain and strong wind.
Over 1,000 vessels are taking shelter at ports across Ledong and classes were suspended at all of the county's educational institutes. Besides, residents were told not to go out if not necessary.
Typhoon Wutip triggers emergency responses before making landfall on Friday
