|
500 000 evacuated from Kaemi
25/07/2006 14:10 - (SA)
|
|
|
 |
|
| Filipino children play in a flooded busy road in the aftermath of typhoon Kaemi in Manila. Kaemi has since made landfall in Taiwan and China. (Aaron Favila, AP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beijing - Typhoon Kaemi struck the southeast coast of China on Tuesday, causing over 500 000 people to be evacuated from the region, still reeling from a tropical storm that claimed 600 lives last week.
The typhoon struck mainland China's Fujian province at 15:50 said the official Xinhua news agency.
The storm packed winds of 120kph as it approached. More than 435 000 people were evacuated from Fujian, and another 80 000 were moved from their homes in the neighbouring Zhejiang province.
The official news agency Xinhua said about 44 000 fishing boats has been ordered to return to harbour by Tuesday. flights from Xiamen city have been postponed or cancelled.
Around 3 000 armed police equipped with speedboats were deployed for rescue and relief operations if necessary, said the news agency.
Local authorities were advised to monitor the safety of people living in makeshift shelters at coal mines and in mountainous areas, and to boost patrols along reservoirs and dams in case of flooding.
80 000 evacuated in Zhejiang
Fujian province had prepared 12 000 tents, 50 000 quilts, 80 000 items of clothing and a five-day supply of food for 300 000 people, reported Xinhua.
The province was still trying to cope with the impact of Bilis, which struck mainland China on July 14, killing 43 people in the province.
Zhejiang province was preparing for a much tougher time with 80 000 people evacuated by Tuesday.
Neighbouring Guangdong province to the south, where Bilis killed 106 people, was also making preparations for Kaemi, even though it was not expected to be directly hit.
Bilis killed at least 612 people in China and 208 people were still missing.
Kaemi had pounded Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rain after making landfall on the island late on Monday.
Schools closed in Philippines
The typhoon also forced the cancellation of flights in Taiwan, disrupted road traffic, knocked out power and forced some offices and schools to close.
Kaemi had earlier brushed past the Philippines, causing heavy rain. Schools were closed and more than 2 600 people evacuated around the capital of Manila on Tuesday because of heavy flooding.
The United Nations's panel on climate change has long held that rising temperatures would result in more severe rain storms in south and central China and drought in the north.
In a separate but as brutal period of weather for north Asia, the International Red Cross said at least 121 people had been killed and 127 were missing in after heavy storms had pounded North Korea in mid-July.
The society said about 17 000 families had been left homeless in five provinces and rain had destroyed 23 400 houses.
- AFP
|
