Henan relocates 65,000 residents as Typhoon Dolphin unleashes gale, rainstorms

ZHENGZHOU -- Central China's Henan province has relocated over 65,000 residents and ramped up emergency response efforts, as downpours brought by Typhoon Dolphin continue to batter large swathes of the province, authorities said Wednesday.

The province upgraded its warning for torrential rain to the highest-level of red alert at 7:30 am on Wednesday, as the provincial meteorological observatory reported that widespread heavy rain is expected across areas north of the Huaihe River from 8 am Wednesday to 8 am Thursday, accompanied by heavy downpours of short-duration and thunderstorms with gales.

Bracing for the impact, Henan has rolled out a series of measures to bolster disaster prevention efforts, evacuate residents in high-risk areas and ensure public safety.

The provincial highway departments have set up over 200 material reserve points, deployed 12,000 emergency personnel, inspected more than 17,000 kilometers of key sections and checked over 700 bridges to eliminate potential risks.

The provincial power system has completed the treatment of over 400 floating objects on power poles and towers in areas prone to geological disasters, pruned over 19,000 overhanging trees along power lines and channels, and dispatched over 22,000 repair personnel to form 1,500 emergency repair teams on 24-hour standby.

Officials with the provincial government said Henan has dispatched over 50,000 people to form more than 3,800 emergency response teams to date. Classes, business operations, and non-essential outdoor activities in the typhoon-affected areas are all suspended, and residents are urged to avoid deep floodwaters and evacuate immediately if vehicles stall in water.

Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of the year, made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province last Sunday. The National Meteorological Center renewed its orange alert for torrential rain on Wednesday, forecasting heavy rain across a broad swath of the country through Thursday morning, including Henan, Shandong and Hubei.