China's coastal regions gear up for double typhoons

Coastal areas in east and southeast China's provinces were bracing for the approaching typhoons Saola and Damrey on Thursday, with ships ordered to return and tens of thousands of fishermen relocated to safe places.

Typhoon Saola, the ninth typhoon of the year, is expected to make its second landfall in coastal areas between the city of Putian in southeastern province of Fujian province and Yuhuan county, Zhejiang province, from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, the Fujian Provincial Meteorological Station said.

The center of Saola made its first landfall at around 3 a.m. Thursday in Hualien, Taiwan, bringing heavy rains across the island, forcing most of schools and offices to close Thursday.

It is expected to move northwestward at a speed of 15 to 20 km per hour and is expected to generate heavy rains in coastal areas in Fujian and Zhejiang. Fujian issued a level two emergency response for Typhoon Saola at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, a total of 59,337 fishermen and marine staff at sea near Fujian had been relocated to safe places, said the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

A shipping route linking the coastal city of Xiamen of Fujian and Kinmen, Taiwan, was closed as of Thursday, according to an entry-exit checkpoint in Xiamen.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Damrey is expected to make landfall in east China's Shandong and Jiangsu provinces from Thursday afternoon to evening.

The Shandong Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters launched a level two emergency response to Typhoon Damrey Thursday morning.

Gales and heavy rains brought about by the typhoon are to hit the southern areas of Shandong, according to the provincial meteorological station.

The station issued an orange alert for Typhoon Damrey Thursday morning, the second highest warning level in China's four-tier color-coded typhoon warning system.

In neighboring province of Jiangsu, 6,640 ships at sea had been ordered to return to port. About 31,100 people including those working on the sea and living around the coast have been relocated, said the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.