Typhoon Haitang is approaching the mainland after battering
Taiwan, and a number of local airports and expressways in eastern
provinces have been closed.
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Nineteen flights from Hong Kong to Taiwan were canceled and another
25 delayed, according to reports from Hong Kong, and another 24
flights from Taiwan to Hong Kong were also canceled.
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The meteorological station of Fujian
Province, which faces Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, forecast
that typhoon Haitang would arrive between the cities Quanzhou and
Ningde early or around noon on Tuesday.
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The typhoon, named after a Chinese flower, has speedily moved
toward the central and north part of Fujian. Changle airport in
Fuzhou, the provincial capital, has stopped operations and all
flights cancelled or transferred to Xiamen and Shanghai.
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Jinjiang Airport in Quanzhou has also cancelled all flights.
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Eight traffic accidents occurred on the Ningde-Luoyuan section of
an expressway in Fujian, and two thirds of billboards along the
Fuzhou-Quanzhou expressway were destroyed.
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To reduce damage caused by typhoon, Premier Wen Jiabao has urged
local governments to be well prepared.
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The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters issued a
circular calling on local governments in Fujian to move people to
safe places and to take effective measures to safeguard their life
and property.
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In Zhejiang,
another coastal province in east China, 326,000 people were
evacuated and 25,739 ships have taken shelter in harbors.
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Shanghai is also threatened by the approaching typhoon, which has
caused river water to rise to near warning levels.
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Shanghai flood control and drought relief headquarters urged
citizens to reduce outdoor activities.
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(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2005)