A severe typhoon hit southern China and Vietnam, causing flood warnings and hundreds of airline and train cancellations. Tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes. The fourth typhoon of the year, Typhoon Talim, hit Guangdong province around 10:20pm local time (14:20 GMT) on Monday night with maximum winds of 136.8km per hour (85 mph), according to the China Meteorological Administration. The meteorological agency reported storm surges and heavy rainfall along the southern coastline from Guangdong to Hainan.
As of 5pm local time (09:00 GMT) on Monday, over 230,000 residents in Guangdong were evacuated after an orange weather signal was issued. It claimed that Chinese officials closed dozens of coastal tourist attractions and prepared 11 rescue vessels, five helicopters, 46 salvage ships, and eight emergency rescue teams for the storm. The meteorological agency warned that Talim may make a second landfall in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Tuesday morning as it moves near the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea. Flash floods were predicted for Guangxi through Tuesday. On Monday, Vietnamese officials prepared to evacuate 30,000 people from Quang Ninh and Hai Phong provinces, which were expected to be severely impacted. Vietnam’s main disaster response committee stated Talim “might be one of the biggest to hit the Gulf of Tonkin in recent years” online. Airlines have delayed flights to escape the storm and encouraged tourists to abandon remote islands. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh warned of probable flooding late Sunday and ordered disaster response teams to prepare for “immediate rescue and relief works”. The state-run China Daily said that local service operators halted hundreds of trains in southern China’s Guangdong and Hainan provinces on Monday, including high-speed trains between Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the city next to Hong Kong.
After the local maritime forecasting station warned of waves up to 6 meters (20 feet), Hainan island authorities ordered adjacent ships to return to port, Xinhua said. Hainan’s Meilan International Airport and Qionghai Boao Airport cancelled all flights, state media stated. On Monday, FlightAware reported over 160 aircraft cancellations into and out of the island. Local media stated Zhuhai Jinwan Airport in Guangdong near Macau cancelled over 80 flights. Climate warming is strengthening typhoons, scientists say.
