Typhoon Fung Wong lands in Taiwan, causes trouble in East China

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Source: CCTV.com | 07-28-2008 09:14

Typhoon Fung Wong, or phoenix, is now moving rapidly northwestward and is expected to land in Hualien of the Taiwan region on Monday morning. Across the Straits, more than 270,000 people have been evacuated in Fujian province as the typhoon approaches.

Typhoon Fung Wong, or phoenix, is now moving rapidly  northwestward and is expected to land in Hualien of the  Taiwan region on Monday morning.

Taiwan's meteorological department says that by Sunday night the typhoon had moved to the sea area 200 kilometers southeast of Hualien. The wind speed at the eye of the typhoon was 38 meters per second. And the force of the typhoon keeps growing. Meteorologists say all of Taiwan will be under its influence on Monday.

As a result, many areas on the island will experience heavy downpours. In the north and east of the island, the precipitation on Monday alone is expected to exceed 600 millimeters.

Lin Xiuwen, deputy director Forecast Center, Taiwan Meteorological Dept., said, "If the typhoon keeps moving further northward, more areas will be hit by heavy rainfalls, even the central areas won't be exempted. The precipitation is likely to be larger than our expectations."

Ahead of the typhoon, many tourists to Hualien had to end their trips early and rush back home by trains.

Taiwan tourist, said, "Because the typhoon is approaching, we have to go back one day ahead of the schedule. We have train tickets... but we don't have seats on the train. But we have to go anyway. Safety comes first."

Railways across Taiwan island will cease operation on Monday afternoon, while all local airlines will be canceled. The cross-Straits ferry services between Kinmen in Taiwan and Xiamen and Quanzhou on the mainland will also be canceled. The Taipei stock exchange will also be closed.

Authorities have recommended that local residents not go to office or school on Monday. Meanwhile, vegetables are getting much more expensive in the face of the typhoon. On average, vegetable prices are already two times higher than normal.

And across the Straits in Fujian, a total of 274,300 people were evacuated by Sunday afternoon ahead of the quickly approaching typhoon.

About 52,300 fishing boats had also returned to harbor by Sunday afternoon. Meteorological departments in Fujian say the typhoon is expected to hit the province on Monday night or Tuesday morning, sweeping across the province before moving up inland to east Jiangxi Province. The province has already been experiencing heavy rains ahead of the typhoon. And authorities say rainstorms will continue on Monday.

Over in Zhejiang province, the flood prevention and drought relief headquarters is closely monitoring the movement of the typhoon and making all necessary preparations to avoid damages from the typhoon.