Emergency measures initiate as Typhoon Hagibis approaches China

China initiated emergency response measures on Sunday as Hagibis, the first typhoon this year, is expected to make landfall on the country’s east coast within a few hours.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters asked local authorities in Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hainan provinces to step up their monitoring efforts, and call ships and offshore workers to return to port.

The country’s meteorological authorities forecast the typhon will hit south and east China’s Guangdong and Fujian provinces between Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening.