China sets aside US$28 million in aid for southern provinces hit by Typhoon Matmo
Transport in Hainan provincial capital gradually resumes after storm packing maximum sustained winds of 151km/h makes landfall in Guangdong
China set aside 200 million yuan (US$28 million) in recovery aid for Guangdong and Hainan provinces as Typhoon Matmo made landfall on Sunday afternoon.
Earlier on Sunday, authorities in Guangdong relocated more than 150,000 residents and Hainan suspended rail services across the island province. By late Sunday afternoon, transport in Haikou, Hainan’s capital, was gradually resuming.
The National Meteorological Centre said in the morning that Matmo had strengthened into a severe typhoon and was expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to areas across Hainan and Guangdong, as well as Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
The storm made landfall along the eastern coast of Xuwen county in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, around 2.50pm, the weather authority said in a later notice.
Maximum sustained winds near the centre reached 151km/h (94mph), classifying it as a severe typhoon.
Matmo is the 21st typhoon to hit China this year and prompted the centre on Saturday evening to raise its alert level from orange to red – the highest in its four-tier system.