THE water resources department of Jiangsu Province raised flood alert levels for many sections of rivers and canals yesterday, as Typhoon In-Fa is wrecking havoc in the province.

The typhoon — the sixth of this year affecting China — moved to Jiangsu’s Liyang City at 9 a.m. yesterday, after making a second landfall in neighboring Zhejiang Province on Monday.

The storm packed up strong gales of 20 meters per second as it proceeded northwestward with a speed of about 10 km per hour, according to the provincial meteorological observatory.

Downpours were expected to continue in a dozen of cities in the province in the next six hours, according to forecasts issued at 9:05 a.m.

Local authorities have relocated 335,529 people in Jiangsu to safety as a precautionary measure as of 4 p.m. Monday. The province saw 19,091 vessels return to harbor, 7,802 companies suspend business, 23,247 construction sites halt work, and the closure of 479 scenic sites.

The meteorological of Beijing’s Miyun District also issued the highest alert for rainstorms at 9 a.m. yesterday, forecasting a new round of torrential downpours in the afternoon.

By yesterday morning, three districts of Beijing — Shunyi, Pinggu and Miyun — situated in the northern and eastern parts of the capital had issued the red alert for rainstorms. Rains were expected to continue till 8 p.m. yesterday in these areas.

By 9 a.m., the accumulated precipitation at Mujiayu Station in Miyun District had exceeded 200 mm. The intensity of rain would continue till 2 p.m. with another 200 mm of precipitation expected, according to the district observatory.

(Xinhua)