China starts emergency plans for Typhoon Nari

BEIJING - A level three emergency response has been initiated to prevent damage by the approaching Typhoon Nari, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on Saturday.

Nari is the 25th typhoon to hit China this year and is expected to cross the Xisha Islands on October 14 and Hainan Island on October 15. The storm packs maximum sustained winds of 120 km per hour near its center and may produce gusts of up to 150 km per hour.

The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center has issued a yellow alert ahead of Typhoon Nari.

Heavy rains are expected to hit Hainan Province, the southern part of Guangdong Province and the southeastern part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from October 13 to October 17, according to the headquarters.

The headquarters advised local governments to enhance precautions and prevention efforts and learn lessons from the recent Typhoon Wutip, which was similar to Nari and has taken a heavy toll on the affected areas.

China has a four-level Typhoon emergency response system, with level one calling for a top emergency response, while level four represents the lowest-level response.