Guangdong prepares for Typhoon Nalgae

South China's Guangdong is going all out to prepare for Typhoon Nalgae, with the top priority being given to preventing casualties and minimizing economic losses, authorities from the province said on Wednesday.

Nalgae, the 22nd typhoon formed in the northwestern Pacific this year, is expected to slam into the province's western coast on Thursday, bringing gales and torrential rainfall, the province's meteorological department warned.

Nalgae, which caused heavy casualties in the Philippines earlier this week, was moving toward Guangdong's western coast at about 15 kilometers an hour on Wednesday, with the cities of Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Taishan, Yangjiang, Maoming and Zhanjiang expected to be hardest hit, the meteorological department said.

It was expected to make landfall in western Guangdong or northern Hainan province on Thursday. But as it was weakening when approaching the coast, it may also dissipate before making landfall.

If Nalgae made landfall, it would be the first typhoon to make landfall on the Chinese coast in November since 2003.

To cope with Nalgae, school classes have been suspended in Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Taishan in the western part of Guangdong province beginning on Wednesday to prevent and reduce possible casualties, authorities said. No off-campus educational institutions in the three cities were allowed to organize any offline classes on Wednesday, said authorities.

Li Jiemei, a resident in Taishan, said she had to take a day off to look after her 4-year-old daughter after the city's kindergartens suspended classes on Wednesday.

"There is a strong wind outside, so many people have gone out less," she said.

Authorities have also urged all fishing boats in the province's western coastal cities to return to shelter while all fishermen and offshore workers were ordered ashore on Wednesday to avoid possible disasters.

Relevant departments urged residents on Wednesday to reduce their outdoor activities, particularly at beaches, low-lying areas, scenic spots, construction sites and under large billboards, and avoid walking along local coastal and river dikes to avoid accidents as yellow alerts, the third-highest level of the four-tier warning system, have been issued in many districts.

The Guangdong provincial government has urged relevant departments and cities to implement concrete and effective measures to prevent and cope with possible geological hazards caused by heavy rainfall, including the collapse of coastal, river and reservoir dikes, flooding, mountain torrents, mudrock flows and landslides.

Affected by Nalgae, major cities along the Pearl River estuary experienced heavy rainfall on Wednesday, disrupting local traffic.

According to the railway department, some passenger trains operating from Zhanjiang to Guangzhou and Shenzhen have been suspended while some of the intercity trains running in Guangdong's western coast are required to make detours.

On Hainan island, the local government has launched a Level-IV emergency response for Nalgae, requiring relevant departments to take effective measures against possible disasters.

Fishing boats have been required to return to shelters or try to stay away from storm-hit waters while residents are urged to go out less to avoid possible accidents, as the island is expected to experience strong gales and heavy rainfall when Nalgae arrives.