Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
China closed ports and railways on Saturday as a preparatory measure to face topan In-Fa.
The typhoon comes as parts of the country are struggling to recover from the massive flooding that hit earlier this week.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, In-Fa is expected to hit mainland China late Sunday in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang near Shanghai.
Chinese authorities have issued the highest warning for the storm, a third -level warning. Meanwhile, China Railway has canceled more than 100 trains crossing the region.
Shanghai authorities have closed several public parks and museums. On Saturday (25/7), they also warned residents to “stop large-scale outdoor gatherings” and stay indoors.
Meanwhile, all container ship docks were closed from Yangshan Port south of Shanghai and 150 ships, including passenger ships and cargo ships, were evacuated from the area.
In central China’s Henan province, where heavy flooding this week has killed at least 58 people, authorities are gradually clearing and reopening roads blocked with vehicles and debris.
This flood has impacted millions. Some residents were trapped without food or fresh water for days . Meanwhile, other residents were rescued to safety using excavator buckets.
The Henan government’s floods have caused billions of dollars in losses with more than 495,000 people evacuated.
Henan emergency response official Li Changxun warned on Saturday that the province needed to carry out large-scale cleaning and disinfection to “ensure disaster is not followed by an epidemic.”
Photographs published by state media and government social media accounts on Saturday showed rescue workers continuing to shovel mud and remove fallen trees across the province.
The heaviest rain this year hit the city of Zhengzhou in the last three days this week. As a result, the worst floods hit the city. Floods killed at least a dozen people on the subway during rush hour Tuesday (21/7), due to being trapped by floodwaters in their carriages.
State media warned that hurricane In-Fa could bring more rain to parts of the province in the coming days.
China has experienced an annual flood season for thousands of years, but record rainfall in Henan has raised questions about how Chinese cities can be better prepared for weather anomalies, which experts say are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity due to climate change.
Henan Province is colored by rivers, dams, and reservoirs. Many of these buildings have been managed for decades to manage floodwaters and irrigate agricultural areas. But the city’s rapid growth has put a strain on the existing drainage system.
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