Typhoon Saola brings gale and downpour while landing twice in south China province

GUANGZHOU -- Typhoon Saola, the ninth typhoon of this year, has brought strong winds and heavy rain to South China's Guangdong province, damaging crops and forcing evacuation of residents.

According to the province's meteorological observatory, Saola churned ashore in the city of Zhuhai at 3:30 am Saturday, with a maximum wind speed of 42 to 46 meters per second near its eye. It then weakened into strong tropical storm, and made second landfall in Yangjiang city at about 1:50 pm.

Saola unleashed gale and downpour which affected about 573 hectares of crops in Guangdong. As of 5 pm Saturday, about 925,000 people had been evacuated for safety reason, said the province's flood, drought and typhoon control headquarters.

No major or large-scale water conservancy projects were damaged, according to local authorities. As Saola continues to wane while moving southwestward along the coastline, Guangdong downgraded the emergency response to Level III on Saturday afternoon. Traffic control is being lifted orderly, while production and social activities are returning to normal.

Meanwhile, the meteorological observatory of Guangdong warned that Haikui, the 11th typhoon of this year, is approaching and will likely land on or seriously affect the province between next Tuesday and Wednesday.