While the coastal provinces of Guangdong and Fujian have enjoyed little time to recover
after being hard hit by Typhoon Bilis, both locations are on high
alert as Typhoon Kaemi approaches.
As of 2 PM yesterday, the eye of Kaemi was located about 220
kilometers east of Hengchun, Taiwan Province, and was moving
northwestward at 18 to 20 kilometers per hour, sources with the
Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Bureau said.
The typhoon was expected to hit the central and southern parts
of Taiwan's eastern coastal areas sometime between last night and
this morning.
"It will pass across the Taiwan Straits and land in the central
and southern areas of Fujian Tuesday night or Wednesday morning,"
Lu Shan, chief forecaster of the bureau, said.
The Office of Flood and Drought Relief in Fujian Province
ordered all vessels to return to harbor last night and local
governments have been advised to pay special attention to the
safety of people living in temporary shelters in coal mines and
mountainous areas.
The office also asked local governments to boost patrols along
reservoirs and dams in preparation for further flooding after Bilis
struck the province last week.
At least 43 people died and more than 3 million in Fujian have
been affected since Typhoon Bilis swept over most of the
province.
Because of Kaemi, most areas in Guangdong will again see
rainstorms starting tonight. The eastern areas and two mountainous
cities of Meizhou and Heyuan, which were severely hit by Bilis
after July 14, will again be hit by heavy rain.
"Although Kaemi is not expected to land in Guangdong, we advised
relevant government departments to draft plans to guide against
further potential natural disasters," Lu said in an interview with
China Daily yesterday.
Kaemi will also bring strong gale winds to the eastern coastal
areas in Guangdong, Lu said.
"Special attention should be given to the areas flooded by
Bilis, which killed 612 people in China, to prevent further
flooding," Lu said.
"Reservoirs and rivers in flood-hit areas can hold no more water
after Bilis swept through."
The flood and drought relief office in Guangdong, together with
other government organizations, held a working conference yesterday
afternoon to develop measures to call fishermen back to shore,
check and protect reservoirs, monitor natural disasters such as
floods and landslides and arrange the safe evacuation of
citizens.
(China Daily July 25, 2006)