256,000 people evacuated as typhoon approaches
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-07-14 15:05
FUZHOU -- East China's Fujian Province has evacuated 256,000 people on the
sea to safe places on land as typhoon Bilis is approaching.
Up to now,
all the 42,000 ships on the sea in Fujian have been called back and all
fishermen on ships returned to land, according to the Fujian Provincial Flood
Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Friday.
The headquarters
ordered fishermen and ships on the sea to return to land as quickly as possible
starting July 12.
According to the provincial meteorological station,
typhoon Bilis arrived in the Taiwan Straits around 3:00 a.m. Friday and is
moving northwestward at a speed of 15 km to 20 km per hour.
Bilis is
forecast to land the coast between Putian City and Xiapu County in Fujian
between noon and afternoon Friday, according to the provincial observatory.
The provincial observatory forecast that typhoon Bilis would bring
strong winds measuring 10 to 11 degrees on the Beaufort Scale on the sea off
northern Fujian Province and would bring force seven to nine gales in coastal
areas in central and northern Fujian.
The observatory also forecast
moderate to torrential rains in coastal and inland areas of the province in the
coming three days. Local people were warned of possible mountain torrents,
landslides and flooding caused by typhoon Bilis.
Influenced by
Bilis-triggered strong winds and heavy rains, 14 flights were called off at the
Changle International Airport based in Fuzhou, the provincial capital, since
Thursday night.
Resumption of the cancelled flights will depend on
weather conditions, airport sources told Xinhua.
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