China activates flood-control emergency as Typhoon Noul set to hit coast

China on Saturday activated its flood-control emergency response in several regions as Typhoon Noul is expected to bring heavy rainfall while more than 400 flights were cancelled in Hong Kong.

The regions are Fujian, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi, covering large parts of eastern, central and southern China.

Met officials in Hong Kong initiated emergency measures as Typhoon Noul approached.

More than 410 flights and 150 high-speed train services were cancelled while the Home Affairs Department had opened 28 shelters in anticipation of the approaching storm, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

In Beijing, China's Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level-IV response as rivers at higher flood risk in these regions include some of the country's major waterways, such as the Pearl, Yangtze and Huaihe, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

 

To brace for potential flooding, the ministry has urged local water conservancy authorities to closely monitor weather changes, issue timely warnings, and make targeted use of flood-control infrastructure.

Typhoon Noul, the 12th typhoon of the year, is forecast to make landfall between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.

The ministry has dispatched five teams to some of the affected regions to provide on-site guidance for flood control.