Every precaution taken as city waits for Haikui

SHANGHAI and nearby coastal areas evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and ordered ships to port as China prepared for the arrival of Typhoon Haikui.

Shanghai banned all outdoor group activities, closed all city parks and suspended summer classes. It also stopped all outdoor construction.

The city government said summer schools and training classes should be suspended and companies were being advised to give their employees time off.

By 9pm last night, it was estimated that nearly 374,000 people had been relocated in the city and a total of 6,327 ships had anchored in harbors, officials with the Shanghai Flood Control Headquarters said.

Zhang Zhenyu, an official of the headquarters, said those living in temporary housing at construction sites, makeshift housing and seawall regions were being moved to schools, stadiums and other shelters.

"Due to the uncertainty of the typhoon, we will relocate all people facing possible risks," Zhang told Xinhua news agency.

Haikui, the strongest typhoon to approach Shanghai since Matsa in 2005, should have landed in neighboring Zhejiang Province early this morning, and bringing gales of up to 102 kilometers per hour, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said.

Heavy downpours are expected, and the typhoon's influence should last to the weekend.

Rainfall over the next three days is estimated at 250 to 400 millimeters but that could still rise, the bureau said.

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