Around 1 mln people relocated in eastern China as Typhoon Lekima strikes
BEIJING. KAZINFORM - More than one million people had been relocated before Typhoon Lekima made landfall at about 1:45 a.m. on Saturday in Wenling City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Xinhua reports.
With a maximum wind force of 187 km/h, the super typhoon, the ninthtyphoon this year, is expected to bring heavy rain to the provinces of Anhui,Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the municipality of Shanghai.
At noon on Friday, Zhejiang raised its emergency response to the toplevel. More than 700,000 people were relocated, among whom over 110,000 weresettled in 12,000 shelters.
The province has shut down hundreds of ferries, canceled 288 flights andsuspended sections of its railway lines. Local authorities have assembledrescue teams of nearly 1,000 members, with 150 fire engines and 153 boats oncall.
As of Saturday morning, 253,000 people in Shanghai have been relocated,with part of the city's rail transit services including the maglev traintemporarily suspended. The typhoon blew down nearly 3,000 trees and causedfaults of 100 power lines, among which 80 have been restored so far.
Shanghai has been affected by heavy rainstorm since Friday afternoon,according to the municipal flood control department.
The Lekima is expected to move at about 15 km per hour northward andwestward with abatement of wind.