Thousands evacuated from path of typhoon

HUNDREDS OF thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal areas in southeast China in the path of “super typhoon” Megi, disaster relief authorities said yesterday.

Some of the force of the typhoon appears to have lessened out at sea, but the tropical cyclone is generating waves as high as seven metres (23ft) in the South China sea.

Residents continued their preparations for braving a storm that killed 20 people and damaged thousands of homes when it hit the northern Philippines in recent days. By late yesterday Megi was 420km southeast of Hong Kong and generating winds of 175km/h – much weaker than the winds that devastated the Philippines, said the Hong Kong Observatory.

Despite signs the storm may be weakening, Chinese authorities are taking no chances.

Megi, which means “catfish” in Korean, is the 13th typhoon of the season and meteorologists believe it could be the strongest to hit China this year. Southern provinces, including Hainan, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian, are bracing themselves for heavy rains and strong winds.

Authorities have issued a red warning, the highest of four types, and fear the typhoon could cause huge waves devastating coastal sea areas, including Guangdong, Fujian and the Taiwan Strait.

More than 150,000 people in Fujian Province have been evacuated and 53,100 fishing boats have been recalled to port, the Fujian provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters told the Xinhua news agency.

Adding to the fear is the fact that monsoon winds could still change Megi’s course.

The tropical cyclone is expected to make landfall in southern Fujian either later today or Saturday morning, said Zhang Changping, chief commander of the headquarters. The forecast landfall point shifted from Guangdong to Fujian as the path the typhoon was taking toward the mainland changed, Mr Zhang said.

The shipping route linking Fujian’s Quanzhou and Kinmen in Taiwan was closed yesterday, while local authorities have ordered fishermen to stay ashore and managers of dams in populated areas to prepare to discharge water in case of torrential rain.

Bai Yiping, director of South China Sea Forecasting Centre, told Xinhua that Megi could cause a “50-year storm surge” if it landed as a severe typhoon on the coastal areas in Guangdong.