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September 21, 2010

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Typhoon Fanapi rips Taiwan, hits Fujian

A POWERFUL typhoon made landfall in Fujian Province on Chinese mainland yesterday after ripping into Taiwan, flooding the southern part of the island, crippling transportation and shutting off power as thousands of residents fled mountainous areas prone to landslides.

Typhoon Fanapi landed in Fujian at 7am, according to the flood control headquarters, after crossing Taiwan on Sunday with peak winds of 162 kilometers per hour.

Taiwan's weather bureau said as much as 112 centimeters of rain had been dumped in southern Taiwan by early yesterday - with more to come. TV images showed water submerging streets and first floors of buildings.

Military vehicles entered inundated areas to help trapped residents in the southern part of the island late Sunday.

Schools and offices were closed in southern Taiwan.

Taiwan's Emergency Operation Center said 107 people were injured. Some were cut by broken glass and others hurt when they fell off motorcycles in strong winds.

Landslides caused by torrential rains are traditionally the greatest danger the typhoons bring to this island of 23 million people, which is riven by a series of tall mountains and narrow valleys dotted with hundreds of isolated farming communities.

Taiwan's China Airlines suspended all international departures from Kaohsiung. All of Taiwan's domestic air and rail service was halted.

Officials said seven major roads in central and southern Taiwan were closed because of safety concerns, and another 18 were blocked.

On the mainland, the Fujian provincial water resources department said 186,700 people had been evacuated.

Authorities in the province evacuated about 150,000 fishing crew and recalled 55,000 boats to shore. An additional 6,000 elderly people, women and children living along the coast were also moved to safety, the water resources department said.

Fanapi hit Gulei Town, in Fujian's Zhangzhou City, lashing the province's coastal areas with winds and torrential rains.

Schools in Zhangzhou were closed yesterday and two local primary schools were used to shelter construction workers.

The rain was not so heavy in Gulei, but the rolling waves testified to the force of the strongest typhoon to hit Fujian this year.

But the silver lining is that the heavy rainfall is much needed as Zhangzhou enters the dry season with 470 local reservoirs only half full.

Few people were on the streets yesterday morning, with the storm uprooting trees, ripping off tree branches and knocking over billboards.





 

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