Typhoon Talim Prompts Extensive Evacuation as It Approaches Southern China and Vietnam

BEIJING: As a typhoon rapidly approaches land, tens of thousands of individuals are being evacuated in southern China and Vietnam on Monday, leading to the cancellation of numerous flights.

According to the China Meteorological Administration, typhoon Talim is expected to bring powerful winds, storm surges, and heavy rainfall as it hits the southern coastline, spanning from Guangdong to Hainan provinces, on Monday night.

The meteorologist has raised an orange alert, which represents the second-highest level of warning in a four-tier color-coded system. This alert indicates that the storm is anticipated to intensify significantly, eventually developing into a severe typhoon.

Vietnamese authorities have announced their readiness to evacuate approximately 30,000 individuals residing in the regions predicted to be severely affected, specifically in Quang Ninh and Hai Phong provinces. The evacuation process is scheduled to commence from Monday afternoon.

According to a statement issued by Vietnam’s leading disaster response committee, the upcoming storm is anticipated to be among the largest ones to impact the Gulf of Tonkin in recent times.

Visitors have received guidance to depart from remote islands, and airlines have adjusted their schedules to circumvent the approaching storm.

Late on Sunday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instructed disaster response teams to be ready for urgent rescue and relief operations, highlighting the potential risk of floods.

– Flights grounded –

According to the state-backed Southern Daily, approximately 1,000 individuals were relocated in Yunfu city, located in Guangdong province in southern China.

The Hong Kong weather observatory reported that at 2:00 pm (0600 GMT), Typhoon Talim was situated 280 kilometers to the southwest of Hong Kong.

As the Asian financial hub experienced a halt in activity, trading on Hong Kong’s US$5.2 trillion stock market was called off on Monday.

The Hong Kong Observatory cautioned about the potential for flooding in low-lying regions caused by a storm surge, resulting in the suspension of ferry services and the majority of bus operations within the city.

According to the Hong Kong Airport Authority, over 1,000 passengers experienced the impact of flight cancellations and delays.

As reported by state news agency Xinhua, authorities in Hainan island, located in southern China, requested ships in the vicinity to return to port following a warning from the local marine forecasting station about waves reaching heights of up to six meters (20 feet).

Early on Sunday, ferry operations connecting Hainan and the adjacent Guangdong province were halted.

State media has reported that all flights at Meilan International Airport and Qionghai Boao Airport, both located on Hainan island, have been canceled.

According to local media reports, Zhuhai Jinwan Airport, situated in Guangdong province near Macau, has called off over 80 flights.

Researchers have cautioned that the increasing global temperatures associated with climate change are leading to the intensification of typhoons.