CHINA’S national observatory yesterday morning issued a yellow alert for Typhoon Haikui, the third-most severe warning in its four-tier typhoon warning system, as the 11th typhoon of this year is expected to bring gales and heavy rain to southern and eastern parts of the country. The typhoon, observed at 23.2 degrees north latitude and 119.6 degrees east longitude at 9 a.m. yesterday, is expected to move northwest at a speed of 10 km per hour, the National Meteorological Center said. It will make landfall somewhere in the coastal areas stretching from Zhangpu County in East China’s Fujian Province to Huilai County in South China’s Guangdong Province this morning and further decrease in intensity, the center said. China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system for typhoons, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue. Meanwhile, China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Sunday made the decision to continue a Level-III emergency response to flooding and typhoons in Fujian and Guangdong, as well as a Level-IV response in Zhejiang, Guangxi and Hainan. Fujian, Guangdong and Zhejiang have been advised to take due precautions against Typhoon Haikui and persistent downpours. As of 10 a.m. yesterday, services of 68 passenger shipping routes and 166 passenger ferries had been suspended in Fujian Province. (Xinhua) | 