HAIKOU -- To brace for Bualoi, the 20th typhoon of this year, South China's Hainan province upgraded its emergency response for floods and storms from level IV to level III on Saturday.

The level III emergency response, the third-highest in China's four-tier warning system, was activated at 8 am on Saturday. The roll-on and roll-off passenger ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait have been suspended since 9 am Saturday, and presumably will not resume until Sunday night.

Typhoon Bualoi was located in the eastern part of the South China Sea, approximately 505 kilometers southeast of Yongxing Island of Sansha city, Hainan province, at 6 am Saturday, packing winds of up to 30 meters per second at its center, according to the provincial disaster prevention, reduction and relief authorities of Hainan.

Typhoon Bualoi is forecast to move rapidly northwestward at a speed of about 35 km per hour while intensifying. By Saturday night, it will approach the waters south of Hainan Island and Xisha Qundao, with maximum intensity presumably reaching the magnitude of a strong typhoon.

From Saturday night to Monday, Hainan Island and its surrounding waters will experience strong winds and rainstorm.

Meteorological authorities advised that, due to the rapid movement of Bualoi, it is essential to promptly relocate people from at-risk areas in the Zhongsha Qundao and Xisha Qundao, enhance the safety of tourism facilities on Hainan Island, and take precautions against urban waterlogging.

Additionally, offshore platforms and vessels operating in the eastern and central parts of the South China Sea are advised to take shelter from winds. Ports should be fortified to ensure the proper management of returning fishing boats, along with other precautionary measures.