State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on Tuesday night it has launched a level-three disaster control emergency response to cope with tropical storm Kammuri.

Kammuri, the ninth tropical storm this year, was expected to make landfall along the coast between the cities of Shenzhen and Dianbai in Guangdong Province on Wednesday, the headquarters said.

Chen Lei, deputy commander-in-chief of the headquarters, ordered local governments to start their emergency response mechanisms and make full preparations for the storm's landfall.

Local governments should monitor and forecast the situation and make all-out efforts to avoid casualties, said Chen.

He also ordered government departments to keep alert to mud floods and landslides caused by the storm, to ensure public safety and reduce losses.

The storm appeared in the northeastern part of the South China Sea and intensified into strong tropical storm at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Its center was about 240 km southeast of Guangdong's Taishan City at 7:00 p.m.

It will move northwest at 15 km per hour and hit land after sweeping through the offshore waters on the coast of Guangdong over the next 24 hours, according to the local forecast.

Gripped by the tropical storm, there were strong winds in the northern part of the South China Sea. It also rained heavily in the southern parts of Guangdong on Tuesday.

(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2008)