Typhoon Megi Strikes China
By Swatilekha Paul, Gaea News NetworkSaturday, October 23, 2010
TAIPEI, CHINA (GaeaTimes.com)- Typhoon Megi striked the southeastern part of China on Saturday afternoon after wrecking a havoc in Philippines and Taiwan where at least 36 people are already estimated to have been killed. As the storm made landfall at the Zhangzhou city in Fujian province on Saturday, emergency officials in China are taking all the necessary steps to minimize the damage that Typhoon Megi might cause. According to Chinese authorities, more than 270,000 people have already been evacuated from different regions of China and more evacuations are likely to take place in the upcoming days.
The weather agency in China has reiterated that as Typhoon Megi gradually makes its way towards the northwest and inland over Fujian, it is expected to lose its wind speed. However, the adjoining provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi are likely to experience extreme adverse weather conditions such as torrential rainfall and strong winds. A reputed Chinese news agency has also reported that the authorities are bracing themselves for possible damage in the coastal areas and as a result warnings have been issued in the region to avoid any untoward incident. On Saturday morning, as many as 79 flights have been canceled from the Xiamen airport as well as the Fujian airport while fishing boats have been asked to stay ashore.
Weather forecasters have revealed that Typhoon Megi could turn out to be the strongest typhoon to hit China in the past two decades. In the meanwhile, a search operation has been launched in Taiwan to find the whereabouts of around a dozen people who have been missing since the Typhoon Megi hit the island.
