Typhoon Haitang lashed eastern Taiwan on Monday morning and is
moving towards the coast of northern and central Fujian
Province, east China, with force 12 winds, the Fujian
provincial meteorological station said on Monday.
As a result, 19 flights flying from Hong Kong to Taiwan were
canceled and another 25 flights delayed, according to reports from
Hong Kong. Twenty-four more flights from Taiwan to Hong Kong will
also be canceled.
Meanwhile, at least 39 flights between Taiwan and Macao were
canceled on Monday. Staff at Macao International Airport said that
most of these included Air Macao, Eva Airways and TransAsia flights
to and from Taiwan.
The provincial meteorological station of Fujian, which is just
across the sea from Taiwan, forecast that typhoon Haitang would
hits the coast between Quanzhou and Ningde cities either early
Tuesday morning or by mid-day.
According to the weather station, fresh gales swept over the
coastal areas of northern and central Fujian on Monday morning and
force 7-8 winds were reported in the southern coastal areas of the
province.
Heavy rains with gales are forecast to strike most of Fujian
from Monday night through to Wednesday, with rainstorms likely to
pelt Ningde, Fuzhou and Putian in the next two days.
The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters issued a
circular, calling on local governments in Fujian to evacuate
residents and for emergency measures to kick in.
(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2005)