China activates emergency response for Typhoon Nida

　　Fishing boats berth at a port to take shelter from the upcoming Typhoon Nida in Dongshan County, southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 1, 2016. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

　　China on Monday initiated emergency measures to prepare for the approaching Typhoon Nida.

　　Authorities in the provinces of Guangdong, Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will monitor the typhoon and release early-warning information, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs website.

　　The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction has asked people in the expected path of the typhoon to stock up on three days of essentials. Emergency disaster relief mechanisms will be activated if necessary.

　　Typhoon Nida will make landfall in south China's Guangdong Province on Tuesday. Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, gave a first-class emergency response order at 2 p.m. Monday, the first in Guangzhou's history, mobilizing people from all walks of life to prepare for the typhoon, said Zheng Hangwei, of Guangzhou water authority.

　　All work, production, and classes are suspended during the response period. Except for rescue personnel, people have been advised to stay indoors.

　　Emergency shelters will be provided for the public, with measures to ensure minimum disruption to communications, water and power supplies.

　　Almost 2,000 workers on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge were evacuated on Monday morning and 2,200 people were taken off offshore oil platforms on Sunday evening, according to Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration.

　　All passenger ships, tourist boats, and ferries at Guangzhou have been suspended. Most flights to and from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport will be canceled on Tuesday morning and gradually resumed after 4 p.m.

　　According to Guangzhou Railway Corporation, all trains departing from Guangdong will be canceled on Tuesday, with hundreds of thousands of passengers affected.

　　"It's the strongest typhoon to hit the Pearl River Delta since 1983 and will bring severe flooding," said city official He Guoqing.

　　The neighboring city of Shenzhen upgraded a yellow alert issued around noon on Monday to a red alert at 5 p.m. Shenzhen meteorological station forecast that Nida will make landfall in the Pearl River Delta within 12 hours, bringing torrential rains and strong winds.

　　All schools in Shenzhen are suspended. Outdoor work and sea operations have been halted and most commercial flights canceled.

　　Neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region experienced a moderate earthquake. A 5.4-magnitude earthquake hit Cangwu County, Wuzhou City in Guangxi, on Sunday afternoon. Some houses in two townships close to the epicenter were damaged. People in Guangxi have been warned of storms from Tuesday afternoon to evening.

　　Nanning and Nanchang railway bureaus have canceled many trains from Monday to Wednesday.

　　Fujian Province also launched an emergency response on Monday. The tourist destination of Gulangyu Island in the city of Xiamen was closed on 6 p.m..

　　In Guizhou, meteorological authorities have issued yellow alerts. Wind and hail killed three people and injured one other in Sandu Shui Autonomous County on Monday afternoon.

　　China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.