Hainan braces as approaching typhoon intensifies

Residents buy candles in Haikou, Hainan province, on Monday to prepare for Typhoon Kalmaegi. Huang Yiming / China Daily

Residents in Hainan are preparing for a strong typhoon that is expected to hit the South China Sea island province on Tuesday.

Typhoon Kalmaegi, which made landfall in the northern Philippines on Sunday night, is gaining intensity as it moves northwest toward Hainan Island and southern Guangdong province, according to a warning issued by the China Meteorological Administration on Monday.

When it makes landfall between Yangjiang in Guangdong and Wanning in Hainan on Tuesday, wind speed is expected to reach 180 km/h and up to 400 centimeters of rain will fall in some coastal areas, according to the administration.

The state marine forecast station issued a red alert for the storm on Monday and upgraded the alert for waves to a red level, the most severe warning of China's four-tier, color-coded weather warning system.

The Hainan Emergency Response Office issued a notice on Monday requiring local governments to be well prepared against risks and ready for disaster-relief operations.

Schools and kindergartens in Haikou, the capital of Hainan, have been suspended from Monday afternoon to Wednesday, and universities and businesses will have Tuesday off, according to local media.

Kalmaegi comes as Hainan is still struggling to recover from the havoc caused by Rammasun, a super typhoon that landed in Hainan and Guangdong on July 18, causing at least 56 deaths and leaving 20 people missing, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

"The typhoon is approaching, so I have to buy enough vegetables for stock although they are more expensive than usual," said Haikou resident Wang Jinfu, as he waited for a cab with 20 kg of vegetables he bought from an open market.

Wu Yongzhu, who sells fruit and vegetables in Xingang Market in Haikou, said more people are stocking up on food than before the arrival of the last typhoon. The most popular vegetables are those that are easier to store, such as pumpkins and onions, she said.

Many people also refueled their cars and parked them in garages on higher ground before the arrival of Kalmaegi.

Sun Qingqing of Haikou, whose car was damaged by falling trees in July when Rammasun hit, said she refilled her vehicle on Sunday and reinforced the doors and windows of her house.

"I was scared by Rammasun, so this time I've taken every precaution," she said. "I've bought enough bottled water, candles, bread and instant noodles. I hope this time everything goes well."