China strengthens emergency response as Typhoon Bebinca to make landfall

BEIJING, Sept. 15 -- China has stepped up emergency response with the deployment of more rescuers and equipment as Typhoon Bebinca is about to hit the country's eastern coast.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Sunday activated the Level IV emergency response for east China's Anhui Province and raised the response in Shanghai and Zhejiang to Level III. Work teams have been sent to Shanghai and Zhejiang to help mitigate the impact of the 13th typhoon of the year.

Rescue forces of more than 3,000 people are ready to set out in key coastal regions and nearly 1,000 sets of rescue equipment and 5 helicopters have been deployed, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Typhoon Bebinca will make landfall in early Monday along the coast from Zhoushan in Zhejiang to Qidong in Jiangsu, bringing gales and downpours to multiple regions. The landfall will most likely occur in areas from Pinghu in Zhejiang to Pudong in Shanghai, according to the ministry.

Authorities said increasing trips and festive events during the ongoing Mid-Autumn Festival holiday added to the complexity of the typhoon response, urging local governments to intensify efforts to defend against floods and geological disasters, evacuate affected people in advance, eliminate risks in reservoirs and mines, and resolve urban water-logging.