Cities in east China's coastal province of Jiangsu are actively taking precautions on Wednesday to brace for Co-May, the eighth typhoon of this year, as the tropical storm continues to approach with heavy rainfall.
Typhoon Co-May continues to batter east China on Wednesday, with heavy rain or torrential downpours expected in Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu and other regions.
Earlier Wednesday, the Central Meteorological Observatory issued an orange warning for heavy rain -- the second highest level in China's four-tier weather warning system.
Jiangsu Province launched a Level-IV emergency response to typhoon on Tuesday. At 09:00 Wednesday, all ships on the Jiangsu section of the Yangtze River stopped sailing and operating, and were required to choose nearby safe waters to take shelter.
China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response.
Nantong City launched a Level-III emergency response to typhoon at 10:30 Wednesday. Local authorities at the Lvsi Fishing Port in Qidong City reinforced all fishing vessels in port, and all 21 fishing vessels operating offshore in Nantong City returned to port for shelter by 17:00 on Tuesday.
At 18:00 Tuesday, Suzhou City issued a level-III emergency response, and the Suzhou Meteorological Observatory upgraded the heavy rain warning to yellow at 08:30 Wednesday.
Suzhou's traffic police are closely monitoring the more than 300 road sections prone to water-logging throughout the city to ensure smooth traffic conditions.
Starting Tuesday, some scenic spots in the city have announced closures, with all the cruise-related projects suspended.
Wuxi City also launched a level-III emergency response to typhoon on Wednesday.
The transportation and water law enforcement departments of Wuxi have taken a series of preventive measures to deal with the typhoon, including ceasing all navigation on the Taihu Lake, and prohibiting inland ships from entering the Yangtze River basin.
"The Taihu Lake is closed to navigation. All construction is suspended and all passenger and cargo vessels are prohibited from entering the lake. We are now divided into several teams to conduct intensive inspections of the lake to ensure that all ships are safe in port before the typhoon arrives," said Li Xiaofeng, an officer of the local water law enforcement department.
East China's Jiangsu braces for Typhoon Co-May
