Over 11,000 fishing boats return as China's Zhejiang braces for Muifa

HANGZHOU, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 11,680 fishing boats have returned to port in east China's Zhejiang Province as typhoon Muifa approaches, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The provincial flood control and typhoon and drought relief headquarters upgraded the typhoon emergency response to Level I -- the highest level -- at 5 p.m. Tuesday, as Muifa, the 12th typhoon this year, moves closer, according to the provincial emergency management department.

Authorities across Zhejiang are closely following the development of the typhoon and taking a series of precautions. In regions that might be hit hard by the typhoon, preparations are being made to cope with possible emergencies such as power cut.

At 2 p.m. Tuesday, Muifa was about 425 km east of the county of Xiangshan, packing winds of up to 151.2 km per hour at its center and moving northwest at 10 km per hour, according to the local meteorological department.

The typhoon was approaching the central and northern coasts of Zhejiang, and was forecast to make landfall on the coast between Sanmen and Zhoushan from Wednesday afternoon to Wednesday night.