Strong typhoon triggers safety measures in south

Typhoon Matmo, the 21st typhoon of the year, made landfall in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, on Sunday afternoon. Classified as a Category 14 storm, Matmo has become the strongest typhoon to hit Guangdong this year.

Due to Matmo, which made landfall in Zhanjiang's Xuwen county, the city experienced nearly 100 millimeters of rainfall within three hours on Sunday, with heavy rain expected to continue for another six hours.

In He'an town, Xuwen, over 100 farmers are urgently harvesting shrimp as the typhoon "will bring heavy rain, worsening water conditions and weakening shrimp immunity", said Fu Xiaoli, a local shrimp farmer.

In Xuwen, the local government has organized 264 teams, sending over 2,250 staff members to key areas such as rural communities and enterprises to assist in case of emergency. By 10 am on Sunday, 22,041 people had been evacuated.

In Haian town of Xuwen, drones are being deployed to check for stranded individuals and for those engaging in fishing activities in coastal and low-lying areas. So far, 11,700 tourists have been persuaded to leave dangerous areas.

Echoing the reminders from provincial authorities, 3,406 ships were anchored west of the Pearl River Estuary to avoid the storm as of 6 am on Sunday.

In Wenchang, Hainan province, rainfall exceeded 200 millimeters by Sunday morning. In Puqian town, the seawater flooded some streets and houses.

A local woman surnamed Han said the situation with Matmo is identical to Typhoon Rammasun 11 years ago, with seawater inundating fish farms, fishing boats washed ashore and dead chickens scattered in breeding sheds.

"Farmers and residents, still recovering from last year's Typhoon Mangkhut, feel helpless and heartbroken," Han said. "Fortunately, local officials relocated some residents, especially the elderly, young and vulnerable, before the typhoon hit."

In Haikou, the capital of Hainan province, large shopping venues such as shopping malls and wholesale markets have been closed since 10 pm on Saturday. Delivery and courier services were suspended citywide.

To ensure the safety of residents in hazardous areas such as dilapidated buildings and flood-prone zones, Haikou opened 54 indoor emergency shelters, including schools, gymnasiums and government office buildings.

As of 8 pm on Sunday, Matmo has moved out of Guangdong and is located some 155 kilometers east-southeast off Dongxing, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Its intensity has weakened to Category 13, the China Meteorological Administration said on Sunday.

According to wind monitoring by meteorological departments in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Guangdong's Zhuhai, Matmo could make a second landfall along the coast of Guangxi as it continues to move westward.

Based on the analysis, the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao planned to resume shuttle bus services across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge on Sunday afternoon.

In addition, Haikou Meilan International Airport is expected to gradually resume flights from 8 pm on Sunday, with 153 flights planned for the day, including 37 departures and 116 arrivals.

The National Development and Reform Commission has urgently arranged a central budgetary investment of 200 million yuan to support Guangdong and Hainan in their emergency recovery efforts following the typhoon disaster.

cangwei@chinadaily.com.cn