China activates emergency response to flooding as this year's first typhoon approaches

China's Ministry of Water Resources on Wednesday issued a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in southern and southeastern regions, following a tropical depression over the South China Sea that had grown into this year's first typhoon in the morning.

The center of Typhoon Wutip (Butterfly) was located near Yongxing Dao in the city of Sansha in China's southernmost island province of Hainan, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the ministry.

Strong rain caused by the approaching Typhoon Wutip will hit China's regions including Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fujian from Thursday to Sunday, and the water levels of some medium and minor rivers in the regions are projected to exceed warning thresholds, the ministry said.

The ministry emphasized the importance of preventing floods in small and medium-sized rivers, as well as mountain torrents in the affected areas, to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.

The ministry has dispatched two teams to Hainan and Guangdong to aid flood prevention work.

China's national observatory on Wednesday evening also issued a yellow alert for Typhoon Wutip.

Typhoon Wutip was located over the South China Sea, approximately 300 kilometers southeast of Sanya, Hainan Province, at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC). It is forecast to move rapidly northwest at speeds of about 10 kilometers per hour, with its intensity gradually increasing.

The typhoon is expected to make landfall along the coast from Lingshui to Ledong in Hainan on Friday, followed by a second landfall along the coast from Guangdong to Guangxi on Saturday, the NMC said.

Guangdong, Hainan Island and the Xisha Islands will experience heavy rains from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Thursday, with some areas of Hainan Island expecting extremely severe rainstorms, according to the NMC.

China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response. It also has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.