| Large cement stones are placed in front of a seaside shopping mall in Busan, southeastern Korea, on Sept. 5 to prevent damage from Typhoon Hinnamnor. Yonhap |
Busan, Korea's second-largest city, is making an all-out effort to minimize the damage from the approaching super strong typhoon, officials said Monday, as Hinnamnor is forecast to hit the southeastern port city hardest.
According to the regional weather agency, Busan is expected to enter the strong wind radius of Hinnamnor between 6 p.m. and midnight Monday, while the typhoon is to make landfall after passing 90 km west-southwest of the port city around 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Its intensity at the time of landfall is expected to be strong, the agency noted.
The agency forecast that 100 to 300 mm of rain is to fall in Busan through Tuesday, without ruling out a maximum precipitation of 400 mm in some areas.
The instantaneous maximum wind speed may reach 40 to 60 mps in coastal areas, while waves are expected to be 3 to 12 meters high.
The Busan city government has raised its emergency preparedness posture to the highest level of Grade 3 as of 9 a.m. and instructed all 7,600 civil servants to shift to emergency duty.
The city will particularly focus on the evacuation of residents in low-lying and other vulnerable areas, prevention of the fall of outdoor signage and other facilities, inspection of drainage pumps in low-lying areas, preemptive control of offshore bridges and underpasses, and establishment of the immediate restoration process for electricity, gas and water supplies.
Busan's port and airport have suspended almost all operations in preparation for the typhoon, while 198 citizens from 145 households in low-lying and other vulnerable areas have already been ordered to evacuate.
All schools in Busan and the adjacent Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province are scheduled to be closed and shift to online classes Tuesday, educational officials said.
The operations of the Busan metro service's ground sections will also come to a halt throughout Tuesday.
Arts events will also be affected by the typhoon, as the 2022 Busan Biennale, one of South Korea's largest art festivals, will be entirely closed Tuesday to secure the safety of visitors. (Yonhap)