Typhoon Haiyan threatened northern Taiwan yesterday, prompting officials to close schools, ground flights and cancel trains before the storm began veering away from the island province.
Haiyan was sweeping toward Taiwan earlier in the day, but a high-pressure front forced the storm to turn north away from the island, said Wu Teh-lung, a Weather Bureau forecaster.
"The storm will still bring heavy rains to Taiwan, but its impact is gradually diminishing," Wu said, adding that land warnings could be dropped later yesterday.
This year's typhoon season has been one of the worst in Taiwan's history, and people took precautions to prevent further damage, reported The Associated Press.
Families and businesses were piling sandbags outside their homes and offices. Fishing boats were tied down in northeastern ports.
Schools in the northeastern city of Ilan were closed. Railway service was suspended in parts of northern Taiwan and along the eastern seaboard. Flights between the capital, Taipei, and the east-central city of Hualien were canceled.
Land warnings were issued for major cities in northern and eastern Taiwan, including Hualien, Keelung, Taipei and Hsinchu - home for many of the island's computer chip makers.
(Eastday.com 10/17/2001)
