China has evacuated more than 850,000 people from their homes to minimise loss to life and property as the country braces for Typhoon Cham-hom.
China is gearing up to face nature's fury, as the super typhoon is scheduled to make landfall this weekend. The typhoon, which was churning near Japan's Ryuku Islands early Friday with maximum sustained winds of around 213 kph (132 mph), is forecasted to weaken somewhat before hitting the densely populated eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang on Saturday, according to CNN.
The U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center warns that even after weakening, it could still pack the punch of a Category 2 hurricane.
Zhejiang, which is bracing for the maximum impact, has evacuated more than 220,000 people, and 20,000 fishing vessels returned to harbor for shelter. The province upgraded its emergency response by two levels to prepare for the typhoon.
The storm has disrupted road, air and sea traffic, and direct shipping routes to Taiwan from Zhejiang have been suspended since Thursday. More than 100 flights have been cancelled and several long-distance buses and trains have been suspended, Xinhua reported.
"The typhoon seems very powerful. We have sealed all our windows and doors and have stored food," said Liu Yimin, a villager in coastal Huagang Village. The powerful storm could be the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Zhejiang province, which borders Shanghai to the south, for the month of July since 1949, China's National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said.
The typhoon is the second storm to hit China in two days after severe tropical storm Linfa made landfall on the coast of southern Guangdong province.
The region is in for more showers, as Typhoon Nangka is swelling over the Pacific Ocean on the heels of Chan-hom and is expected to travel north-west towards Japan's Ryukyu Islands in the coming days, according to ABC News. The Japan Meteorological Agency described the intensity of the storm as "very strong."
