Residents of Ningbo offer free food as typhoon hits the city

Huang Xiaoqin and her husband, owner of a bar in Ningbo, are busy making breakfast for those staying in a temporary shelter in Beilun district. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

As Typhoon In-Fa hits the eastern coast of Zhejiang province, many residents and volunteers in Ningbo were busy offering free food to those who joined in disaster relief efforts as well as those staying at temporary shelters.

The typhoon made landfall in Zhoushan at around 12:30 pm on July 25, with a maximum wind speed that reached 136.8 kilometers per hour. Though Ningbo upgraded its emergency response to Level I, the highest level, on July 24, the city has been heavily affected by gusting winds and heavy rain.

As soldiers, firefighters, police officers, rescuers, volunteers and government officials work on the frontlines, many residents are also making their own contributions to the city.

Ma Fuzhen, a young man from Northwest China's Qinghai province, runs a noodle restaurant in Qiangjiao town, Ninghai county. He has been offering free meals to those who are contributing to disaster relief efforts since July 24.

Ma said that many officials were so busy working day and night to protect residents in the town that they often missed meals provided at their canteens, so Ma decided to provide free noodles for them.

Huang Xiaoqin and her husband, owners of a bar in Beilun district, volunteered at Yulan Community when the typhoon hit the city. Together with other volunteers, they made more than 900 mantou (steamed buns) overnight and delivered them to a temporary shelter in Minshan School, where many construction workers were staying.

"It is heartwarming to have such a breakfast here," said Mr Long, one of the workers.