China braces for another tropical storm

BEIJING - China's flood control authorities are on alert as the country braces for the arrival of tropical storm Rumbia, which are expected to affect the country's already rain-soaked southern regions.

Rumbia, the sixth tropical storm to hit China this year, is moving northwest at 25-30 km per hour and expected to come ashore in Guangdong province the coming Monday night or on Tuesday, State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said in a statement after an inter-departmental meeting on Saturday.

Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and the provinces of Hainan, Hunan and Guizhou are also expected to feel the storm's fury, it said.

The statement said the flood control task is challenging as some parts of southern China are still reeling from the damage caused by the fifth tropical storm Bebinca, which made a landfall in Hainan last Saturday and caused downpours, floods and landslides as the storm moved inland.

To minimize the possible damage by Rumbia, it urged local authorities to enhance monitoring, issue early warnings, timely evacuate residents in the threatened areas and call back fishing boats to port.