China activates flood emergency response in six provincial-level regions

BEIJING -- China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Wednesday activated a Level-IV emergency response for floods in six provincial-level regions, as two typhoons are expected to impact the regions in the coming days.

The six regions are Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hainan, Fujian and Guangdong, with two work teams sent to the latter two provinces to assist local efforts to defend against the typhoons, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

The headquarters held a video conference with the ministry on Wednesday to discuss work to combat flooding and typhoon conditions.

The meeting said there are uncertainties on the path of the typhoons, their magnitude and the affected areas, making efforts to counteract flooding and typhoon conditions both complicated and grave. Typhoon Saola is expected to approach coastal Fujian and Guangdong provinces in South China, while Typhoon Haikui is forecast to affect the East China Sea on around Sunday, according to the meeting.

The conference urged efforts to keep a close eye on the development of typhoons and the impacts of subsequent wind and rain, organize ships and related personnel to return to ports for safety, and evacuate people from dangerous areas.

The conference was also joined by the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Natural Resources.