Chinese coastal province evacuates 282,000 as Typhoon Kong-rey approaches

HANGZHOU -- Authorities in East China's Zhejiang province had evacuated 282,000 people by Friday morning ahead of the Typhoon Kong-rey, which will bring strong winds, heavy rain and heightened flood risks to the region.

Over 10,600 emergency shelters have been opened across the province, providing meals and drinking water to those relocated. The large-scale evacuation comes as Kong-rey nears the eastern coast of the Chinese mainland.

All 152 passenger ferry routes in Zhejiang, involving 347 vessels, have been suspended, while 136 water-related construction projects have been paused, and 675 construction vessels moved to sheltered areas.

Zhejiang's agricultural sector is also taking preventative action to minimize potential losses, such as clearing drainage channels, reinforcing greenhouses and harvesting vegetables and seasonal fruits ahead of the storm.

Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall in southeastern Taiwan's Taitung at around 1:40 pm Thursday. By 10 am Friday, its center was located in the sea area about 160 kilometers southwest of Wenling, Zhejiang, moving northeast at around 30 kilometers per hour. Kong-rey may either make landfall along Zhejiang's coast or pass closely offshore, according to the Zhejiang meteorological authority.

Yan Xiaofan, an official with Zhejiang's emergency management department, said that the typhoon had already brought heavier-than-expected rainfall to the province, regardless of whether it makes a second landfall.

Zhejiang has recorded an average of 70.7 millimeters of rainfall over the past 24 hours, with strong gales impacting central and southern coastal areas.

Tong Huabin, another official from the department, cautioned that authorities are on high alert for flash floods, landslides and urban flooding.

The National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert for Kong-rey on Friday morning, forecasting torrential rains in eastern provincial-level regions, including Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai, from Friday afternoon through Saturday. Parts of Jiangsu and Shanghai could experience downpours of 100 to 120 millimeters.

The Chinese mainland has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.