STORY: South China's Guangdong braces for super typhoon Saola
DATELINE: Sept. 1, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:25
LOCATION: SHANWEI, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): LU HAO, Xinhua correspondent
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): CHEN JIAYIN, Official, Xingang street, Shanwei City
3. various of Shanwei

STORYLINE:

China's national observatory on Friday renewed a red alert for typhoons Saola and Haikui, which are expected to bring gales and heavy rains to the country's southern coastal regions.

Typhoon Saola, the ninth typhoon of this year, is moving in northwesterly and westerly directions at a speed of 10-15 kilometers per hour, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

It is likely to make landfall on the coast within an area stretching from Huidong to Taishan in China's southern Guangdong Province from Friday evening to Saturday morning, or it may move southwestward from the coastal areas near the middle parts of Guangdong, the NMC said.

In response to the approaching typhoon, multiple cities in Guangdong have postponed the start of new school semester, suspended train and ferry operations, and directed fishing boats in the affected waters to return to ports for safety.

STANDUP (English): LU HAO, Xinhua correspondent
"This Friday marks the first day of new school semester, but some students in Guangdong have to stay at home, because of the approaching typhoon Saola.
I am now at a sea port in Shanwei, in south China's Guangdong Province. Typhoon Saola is now about 100 km away and is moving northwest at a speed of 10-15 km per hour.
We can see now the typhoon is bringing strong winds and heavy rains here and now hundreds of boats are taking shelter here at this harbor. Multiple cities in Guangdong have taken preventive measures to guard against the typhoon."

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): CHEN JIAYIN, Official, Xingang street, Shanwei City
"As Typhoon Saola is approaching, our street has made following preparations. First, as Shanwei is a coastal city, the most important thing is to check risks on the sea. We must make sure that all fishing boats under our administration have returned to the port and all workers have gone ashore safely. Meanwhile, we have also strengthened inspections on the coastal area.
Second, as the typhoon will bring heavy rains, we have carried out risks identification on three sites that are prone to waterlogging and deployed drainage equipment. At the same time, we have assigned four rescue teams there to stand by.
Last, we are using loudspeakers, LED screens and WeChat official account to update warning alert of the typhoon to let the residents know where the typhoon is moving to and how to protect themselves."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Shanwei, China.
(XHTV)