Big storm batters provinces

TYPHOON Fung Wong weakened into a tropical storm yesterday after it struck the east coast of China's mainland overnight, forcing mass evacuations and threatening the region with torrential rain.

The typhoon hit Fujian Province late on Monday night after sweeping the island of Taiwan, where it killed one person. In Fujian and adjacent Zhejiang Province, officials evacuated more than 500,000 people and called in thousands of fishing boats.

The typhoon destroyed 110 houses and forced the evacuation of about 390,000 people in Fujian alone.

Crops were destroyed on 16,840 hectares of farmland in Fujian, according to estimates of the provincial flood control office. Sixty-six industries and enterprises suspended operations, causing economic losses of 503 million yuan (US$74 million).

As of 10pm yesterday, 97 domestic and 10 international flights had been canceled, said an official with Changle International Airport in Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian.

Fung Wong continues to have severe effects on Zhejiang. Wenzhou and Taizhou, business and industry centers on the coast of the province, were lashed by rain.

From 8am Monday through 7am yesterday, 14 counties and cities in Fujian had 100-200 millimeters of rain, and two rivers flooded. In Zhejiang, about 40 hydrological stations measured 200mm of rain from 8am on Sunday to 8am yesterday. In Wenzhou, the figure was 334.5mm.

The storm continued to move northwest yesterday and was expected to reach Jiangxi Province late last night.

Source: Shanghai Daily