Life returns to normal for Sansha fishermen after Rammasun

China established the city of Sansha two years ago to strengthen its foothold in the South China Sea. It also aims to build the city into a strong marine base for search and rescue. Typhoon Rammasun has underscored the need for speeding up the construction of such bases.

The super typhoon was the strongest in decades, making landfall in southern China's Hainan province on Friday. But now Sansha's fishermen are going back out to sea.

Ready for fishing after super Typhoon Rammasun hit Southern China. Life has returned to normal in the fishing villages in Sansha. Qiu Ruiping says villagers were well prepared this time.

"When Typhoon Rammasun came to the island, the Neighborhood Committee ordered all of our fishermen to bring all boats ashore, lock the doors, and stabilize our houses, to minimize damage," Qiu Ruiping said.

The city of Sansha issued a red warning for typhoon and rainstorm. Measures were taken to minimize economic losses and ensure safety. And there were no casualties. Xia Yi says emergency preparedness was key.

"Sansha has experienced numerous typhoons before. We have drawn lessons from the previous sacrifices. The city government has made plans to face the disaster," Xia said.

Although Sansha weathered the storm, the government aims to set up a comprehensive rapid response and rescue system, to deal with emergencies at sea.

Qiu Ruiping says the fishermen aren't afraid of natural disasters. But given Sansha's status as a city, they are more confident of more support and better protection.

Every year, tens of thousands of Chinese fishermen head to the South China Sea. One of the greatest challenges is the weather, particularly during typhoon season. Many believe that marine rescue base is urgently needed in Sansha, for dealing with dangers, such as Rammasun.