Hainan, Guangdong cope with typhoon Mulan

Ferry and train services were suspended across the island province of Hainan late Tuesday and Wednesday as an emergency response to typhoon Mulan, the seventh this year according to local authorities.

Mulan, which landed near Xuwen county in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province around noon on Wednesday, brought strong winds and heavy downpours in the western and northwest parts of Hainan last night and this morning, creating new difficulties for the province as more than half of the region has been fighting a new outbreak of COVID-19.

Typhoon Mulan is expected to bring more heavy rain to western regions on the island while the eastern areas will have moderate rainfall later on Wednesday. Winds will be weakened by midnight, the Hainan meteorological observatory said.

Authorities in Guangdong province have urged relevant departments and Mulan-hit cities to continue to implement concrete and effective measures to prevent and cope with possible geologic hazards caused by heavy rainfall in the coming two to three days. These hazards include waterlogging, mountain torrents, mud-rock flow and landslides.

Affected by Mulan, storms and heavy rainfalls would continue to batter cities in the western part of Guangdong through the weekend, while 24 cities and counties in Guangdong have issued yellow warnings for storms on Wednesday, the second-highest in the system.

On Wednesday the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Taishan, Zhanjiang, Maoming, Zhongshan, Huizhou and Yangjiang have been hardest hit by the storms Mulan brought, authorities said.

According to the Zhanjiang Maritime Safety Administration, ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait have been suspended since 5 pm on Tuesday, while ferry services in major coastal cities were also halted on Wednesday.

All swimming beaches in Zhanjiang were closed for safety reasons on Wednesday.

Authorities said high-speed train service between Guangzhou and Zhanjiang has also been suspended due to the storm.

The Zhuhai special economic zone's Lianhua Bridge, linking the city's Xiangzhou district to Macao, has temporarily closed, while exit and entry services at the Hengqin checkpoint have also been suspended since 8 am on Wednesday.

In Shenzhen and Zhongshan, all schools and kindergarten were required to suspend classes on Wednesday. Shenzhen has also temporarily closed all city parks, gyms, museums, cultural venues and some scenic spots on Wednesday.

Authorities have urged all fishing boats in the province's western coastal cities to return to shelter while all fishermen were ordered ashore on Tuesday at noon to avoid possible disasters.

All the outdoor construction sites also ceased construction.

Wang Xiufeng, a resident in Zhanjiang, said it rained heavily on Wednesday morning and many pedestrians who did not bring an umbrella were seen soaked through.

"Many of my neighbors did not go out for shopping because of the downpour on Wednesday morning," she said.

Despite the damage, no casualties had been reported by Wednesday evening.

The heavy rainfall brought by Mulan has helped cool the heat wave in the southern province.

The temperature in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, dropped to 30 C on Wednesday from the previous 37 to 38 C.