Many cities and counties in coastal areas were flooded, and scores of houses were destroyed or damaged.

More than 1.5 million people in more than 45 towns have been affected by flooding caused by the typhoon, reported an official from Guangdong Provincial Headquarters of Anti-Flooding.

The direct economic loss is estimated to reach more than 150 million yuan (US$18.1 million).

A large number of crops and water conservancy facilities have also been destroyed or damaged.

In parts of some cities and counties, electricity and water supplies were suspended and telecommunications severed. Many trees and advertisement boardings were blown down by the strong winds, blocking roads and causing chaos for traffic.

Many bridges, tunnels and power lines were also wrecked, leaving local governments to count the casualty costs.

Hagupit, the 18th typhoon or tropical storm to slam into Chinese coastal areas this year, first struck the city of Yangjiang at about 3:30 am Thursday.

The cities of Yangjiang, Zhuhai, Maoming and Zhanjiang were hardest hit by the typhoon, which has been accompanied by raging storms.

To help minimize the toll, Guangdong provincial government issued a notice on Wednesday requiring local government departments in the western part of the province to take concrete and effective anti-typhoon measures, in an attempt to safeguard lives and property and minimize economic losses.

All the fishing boats in Zhuhai, Yangjiang, Maoming and Zhanjiang were safely harbored in local typhoon shelters, before the third tropical storm to hit Guangdong this summer struck.

Most cities in Guangdong's western coastal areas had experienced rainfall of more than 100 millimeters Thursday.

(China Daily September 13, 2002)