Damrey, the 18th typhoon to hit China this year, landed on the
north of Wanning, the eastern part of China's southernmost island
province of Hainan, at 4:00 in the morning on Monday. Damrey is the
strongest typhoon to batter Hainan since 1974, according to the
Hainan Provincial Meteorological Station.
The typhoon, clocking wind speeds of 55 meters per second at its
center, dwarfed all that have hit Hainan since 1960, except for
Typhoon No. 7314, which hit the province on September 13, 1973, Cai
Qinbo, deputy director of the Hainan Provincial Meteorological
Station, said.
The typhoon is moving westward and is expected to weep across
the whole island in the next few hours, Cai added.
Heavy rainstorms are expected as a result, and experts fear that
Damrey will severely damage rice, rubber and banana harvests.
(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2005)