Coastal cities in East and South China are bracing for Typhoon Doksuri after China's national observatory issued this year's first red typhoon warning — the most severe category — on Wednesday.

▲Farmers lift cages of oysters ashore before the arrival of Typhoon Doksuri at a fishing port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, on Thursday. [ZHU HUANAN/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Doksuri, which is expected to slam into the coastal area between Fujian and Guangdong provinces on Friday morning, already wreaked havoc in major cities in the eastern part of Guangdong and in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces on Thursday.

Some passenger trains running across the typhoon zone, inter-provincial coastal train services between Guangdong and Zhejiang, and some trains operating through the Yangtze River Delta cities were all suspended as of Thursday.

In Fujian, which will likely be the province hardest hit by Doksuri, 183 coastal passenger ferries were halted at 10 am on Thursday.

Construction of 98 offshore projects has been suspended in the province, and more than 7,700 people were transferred to safety in Fuzhou, local authorities said.

In Xiamen, taxis and ride-hailing services have been temporarily discontinued, and cross-sea channels and viaducts were expected to be closed by 10 pm on Thursday. Only emergency vehicles are allowed to operate on local roads, and outdoor gatherings have been banned to ensure the safety of people's lives and property, city authorities said.

Affected by Doksuri, the fifth typhoon this year, the cities of Meizhou, Shantou, Chaozhou and Shanwei in the eastern part of Guangdong experienced heavy rainfall on Thursday, forcing major scenic spots to be temporarily closed and educational institutions to suspend classes.

Xu Jianchun, a resident of Shantou, said it rained heavily on Thursday morning, forcing many people to stay home.

"I can hear the howling gale at home," he said.

"Many of my neighbors dare not go out to shop because of the bad weather."

Guangdong's flood control, drought relief and anti-typhoon headquarters upgraded its anti-typhoon emergency response to Level 2 on Thursday and ordered all fishing vessels to return to shelter.

The cities of Shantou, Shanwei, Meizhou, Heyuan and Huizhou in eastern Guangdong have been ordered to prepare to cope with disasters, including flooding, mountain torrents, mudslides and breaches, and to prevent them if possible to minimize casualties and economic losses.

Guangdong's traffic management departments have launched an emergency plan to temporarily close part of the expressways to the coastal cities that are likely to be struck by Doksuri.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters dispatched four working groups to Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces to guide local governments in their preparations for floods that may be triggered by heavy rains on Thursday, according to a media release from the Ministry of Emergency Management.

More than 4,000 rescuers, along with five helicopters, have been mobilized to stand by for emergencies in the four provinces, the release said.

On a positive note, the heavy rainfall brought by Doksuri has helped temper the heat wave in the southern region.

Reporter: Zheng Caixiong