Noul triggers heavy rainfall in Guangdong

Typhoon Noul slammed into the coastal city of Huizhou in Guangdong province in the early hours of Sunday morning, bringing violent winds and torrential rain that flooded streets, toppled trees and billboards, disrupted transportation and forced the evacuation of more than 801,000 residents.

Noul, the 12th typhoon of the year, is the first typhoon to make landfall in Guangdong this year. So far, it is also the strongest typhoon to hit China this year and the most powerful to strike areas east of the Pearl River Estuary in the past decade.

The typhoon battered the cities of Huizhou, Shanwei and Shenzhen in eastern Guangdong with strong gales and heavy downpours, damaging infrastructure and causing widespread economic losses.

Fifteen of the hardest-hit cities suspended classes, construction, production, transportation and business operations to mitigate the risk of accidents and casualties. Authorities also ordered all offshore workers to return to shore and required fishing vessels to seek shelter as of Saturday.

More than 801,000 residents living in low-lying areas were evacuated ahead of the typhoon's landfall. Emergency response measures were activated in 135 districts and counties across the province's 19 prefecture-level cities.

At 5:13 am on Sunday, emergency workers waded through floodwaters in Huizhou's Ruhu township to remove fallen trees and other debris, clearing the way for an ambulance transporting a pregnant woman to a hospital for delivery, according to local authorities.

At a village in Shanwei, rescuers and firefighters evacuated 27 elderly residents and children after floodwaters inundated the community early on Sunday.

Xie Yutong, an office worker in Huizhou's Huicheng district, said she had never experienced such intense rainfall.

"Rainwater rushed into my home through the balcony," said Xie, adding that residents had been advised to avoid non-essential travel.

Deng Li, a volunteer, described stepping forward to assist residents during critical moments as his bounden duty.

The typhoon also severely disrupted transportation. China Railway Guangzhou Group adjusted or suspended all high-speed and conventional rail services beginning on Saturday, while widespread flight delays and cancellations were reported at airports in Guangzhou and Shenzhen over the weekend.

As of 10 am on Sunday, China Southern, China Eastern, Hainan Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines had canceled a total of 377 arriving and departing flights.

Ye Menglong, a meteorological analyst with Weather China, said unusually high sea surface temperatures in the South China Sea fueled Noul's rapid intensification before landfall, allowing it to strike Guangdong at severe typhoon strength. However, he warned that landfall does not mean the danger has passed.

"Combined with monsoon moisture transport, coastal areas in eastern Guangdong will continue to be battered by torrential rain, with parts of Heyuan, Meizhou, Chaozhou, Jieyang, Shanwei and Huizhou expected to experience extreme rainfall in the coming days," Ye said.

Guangdong authorities have urged cities and relevant departments to make every effort to combat the disaster, placing the protection of lives and property as the top priority.

They called for continuous inspections to identify safety risks and timely and decisive evacuations.

According to the provincial department of water resources, 261 reservoirs across the province had discharged a combined 697 million cubic meters of water on Saturday to increase flood-control storage capacity.

Meanwhile, the National Development and Reform Commission allocated 100 million yuan ($14.7 million) in emergency funding to support Guangdong's post-typhoon recovery.

Noul is expected to move northwest at 10 to 15 kilometers per hour, pass through central Guangdong, enter southern Hunan province in the early hours of Monday and gradually weaken.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn