Typhoon Megi lands in SE China, 270,000 evacuated
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Hundreds of thousands of residents have been evacuated as Megi, the 13th typhoon to hit China this year, made landfall in Zhangzhou City in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian at 12:55 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.
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As of 2 p.m., 272,300 people have been evacuated, according to officials at the provincial department of civil affairs.
Also, there was no immediate report of casualties in Fujian. But disasters caused by typhoon Megi have claimed 11 lives in Taiwan, across the Taiwan Strait.
The typhoon has weakened into a strong tropical storm after landing at Liu'ao Town of Zhangpu County, southern Fujian, packing winds of up to 140 km/h.
The storm is expected to move northward at 10 km per hour and further weaken to become a tropical depression, according to the National Meteorological Center.
The cloud cluster brought by the storm, however, will be hovering over the southern coast of Fujian for some time and is expected to dump more rain in the areas, according to the Fujian provincial meteorological bureau.
Zhangpu received 243 mm of rainfall, and neighboring Yunxiao County recorded 332 mm between 8 a.m. Friday and 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
The precipitation in cities of Zhangzhou, Xiamen and Quanzhou will reach 100 mm in the next 12 hours, the provincial meteorological bureau said.
The storm will also be responsible for heavy rains in Fujian's neighboring provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang.
Influenced by the typhoon, 79 flights at the airport of Xiamen City, also in Fujian, had been canceled as of 8:30 a.m. Saturday, and the Dadeng Bridge, which connects Xiamen City and Dadeng Island, has been closed since 7 a.m.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs said late Saturday that it has launched an emergency response by sending working groups to coordinate disaster relief efforts.
Also, Sun Chunlan, Communist Party chief in Fujian, has ordered local officials to be on high alert against possible heavy rains and geological disasters.
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