China activates emergency response to floods, typhoon

BEIJING, July 23 -- China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Tuesday activated a Level-IV emergency response to flooding and a typhoon in the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang.

Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, was located 710 kilometers southeast of Taiwan's Yilan County at 5 a.m. Tuesday, and is expected to make landfall on the coast of Fujian and Zhejiang before moving north toward inland regions.

Affected by the typhoon, parts of the two provinces will experience gale and rainfall.

The headquarters, the Ministry of Emergency Management and other government departments on Tuesday deployed joint typhoon and flood relief measures in 12 provinces, urging all-out preparation efforts ahead of the typhoon and torrential rains to avoid casualties.

A Level-IV response is the lowest level in China's four-tier emergency response system.