Guangdong Province in south China is ready for the approaching Typhoon Wipha, the sixth typhoon of the year, with people evacuated and fishing boats docked at ports.
At Maoming's Bohe Fishing Port, one of China's top 10 fishing ports, all the 184 exempted fishing vessels and 678 crew members have returned to shore for shelter. Personnel from 98 aquaculture rafts and two marine pastures have also come ashore for safety. As a precaution, all coastal tourist attractions in the city have been temporarily closed.
To mitigate the impact of Typhoon Wipha, all returned vessels have been double reinforced. Meanwhile, coastal residential areas have taken windproof measures, with doors and windows reinforced.
In Zhuhai City, where strong winds and heavy rains are forecast, authorities raised the typhoon alert to red, the very top for the most severe warning on China's four-tier weather warning system, and upgraded the emergency response for typhoon control to Level I at 03:00 on Sunday, according to the local meteorological bureau.
Level I in China's four-tier emergency response system is also the most severe response.
To ensure safety against the typhoon, authorities have relocated over 450 construction workers to a local primary school, where free meals and daily necessities are provided.
"We came here last night and the conditions are rather nice. They distributed sleeping mats to us, and there's air-conditioning," said Feng, a shelter taker.
So far Zhuhai City and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin have opened 257 emergency shelters. Official figures show 64,799 residents have been evacuated, with 7,973 temporarily resettled in these facilities.
Guangdong gets ready for Typhoon Wipha
