China raises emergency response as Typhoon Noul nears

China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters raised its flood and typhoon emergency response in Guangdong to Level III on Saturday as Typhoon Noul intensified. The agency also activated a Level IV flood emergency response for Jiangxi and Hunan.

Typhoon Noul, the 12th so far this year, is expected to make landfall along the coast between Hong Kong and Huilai in Guangdong between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

Gusts of force 12 to 13 are forecast for parts of the northeastern South China Sea, the eastern Guangdong coast and the Pearl River Estuary. Heavy rain is expected in parts of Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi.

The headquarters office and the Ministry of Emergency Management held a joint consultation on Saturday with the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of Water Resources, and provincial authorities from nine regions, including Guangdong and Fujian.

The meeting called for a thorough assessment of people and key facilities in typhoon-prone areas, urging local authorities to relocate residents in high-risk zones as early as possible and ensure no one is left behind.

Authorities were also instructed to strengthen disaster assessment and position emergency rescue forces in vulnerable areas. They were urged to guard against mountain floods, geological disasters, flooding of small and medium-sized rivers, risks to small and medium-sized reservoirs and urban waterlogging, while stepping up reservoir inspections to ensure safe operations and smooth flood discharge.