Mulan, the seventh typhoon of 2022, landed in Xuwen County, Guangdong Province today at around 10: 10 a.m., earlier than expected. China activated a level-IV emergency response on Tuesday when Mulan was approaching southern coastal areas.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters initiated the emergency response in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian and other provinces, in light of gales and heavy rains triggered by the typhoon.

The typhoon was believed to make landfall from the northeastern coast of Hainan island to the western coast of Guangdong Province between noon and evening on Wednesday.

At 3 p.m. Tuesday, Guangdong upgraded its emergency response to gales triggered by the typhoon to level III.

The Guangdong provincial headquarters for flood, drought and wind control also asked fishing boats operating at sea and people working on fishing rafts and offshore wind power construction platforms to go ashore before 12 p.m. Tuesday.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with level I being the most severe.

Bracing for the typhoon, the Ministry of Water Resources has activated a level-IV emergency response for floods in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Guizhou and Yunnan, warning that the heavy rainfall could cause rivers to swell, while hilly areas will be prone to mountain torrents.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs also urged local authorities to prepare for the typhoon and make arrangements for the post-disaster resumption of production, bearing in mind the current crucial period for rice production, livestock breeding and fishing.

Local authorities are advised to strengthen real-time monitoring and disaster prevention, ask people and boats to return to harbors or seek shelter, and protect farming and fishing facilities.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)

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