|
CHINA> Regional
![]() |
|
Typhoon Hagupit wreaks havoc in S.China, killing 6
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-24 21:21 GUANGZHOU -- Typhoon Hagupit forced the closure of schools in at least two south China cities, halted flights and left many urban streets deserted after making landfall in Guangdong Province early on Wednesday. Six people were confirmed dead in the storm, according to the Guangdong Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, which estimated that direct economic losses in the coastal province approached 6 billion yuan (about 770 million U.S. dollars) so far. The 14th strong typhoon of the year landed in Dianbai County in the city of Maoming at 6:45 a.m. with winds of more than 200 km per hour in its eye, the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Bureau said.
Strong gales uprooted many trees and billboards in Maoming when the storm landed. City authorities said one fishing boat sank off Dianbai County, but no casualties were reported. As the worst typhoon to hit Guangdong in more than a decade, Hagupit forced the closure of all schools and kindergartens in the coastal city of Zhanjiang, where gales and rain left most streets deserted even in the morning rush hour. "Hagupit has brought strong gales to all the nine counties and districts in Zhanjiang," said Peng Wenzhen, deputy chief of the city's water resources bureau. The high wind destroyed a gas station along the Zhanjiang section of State Highway No. 325 and a factory under construction. The local government said no casualties were reported in either accident. But fallen trees disrupted traffic on the state highway on Wednesday morning and farmers had huge losses as the gales destroyed their banana trees on either side of the highway. Meanwhile, heavy rain since Tuesday night caused problems for five of the city's 800 reservoirs, bringing them on the verge of overflowing. "We have sluiced water from the five reservoirs and are watching closely as the rainstorm persists," said Peng. Hagupit has triggered a once-in-a-century storm tide -- a high flood period in which water levels can rise to more than 5 meters above the normal tide -- in several coastal cities including Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Yangjiang. "I have been working at the Jiuzhou port for more than 20 years and seen no less than 10 typhoons, but this is the first time that the sea water flooded into the hall of the Customs," said a policeman surnamed Chen in Zhuhai. The balusters along the coastal road were damaged by sea waves, and the depth of sea water at the parking lot reached one meter, with several cars half-submerged. |
太仓市| 涪陵区| 罗山县| 从化市| 安多县| 乌拉特前旗| 瑞安市| 石家庄市| 门头沟区| 雷波县| 双牌县| 无锡市| 彩票| 堆龙德庆县| 武定县| 唐河县| 图们市| 泽库县| 内黄县| 涞水县| 炎陵县| 嘉义县| 靖安县| 府谷县| 东台市| 射阳县| 洪江市| 彭山县| 太仆寺旗| 怀集县| 嘉义县| 平乡县| 乌拉特中旗| 胶南市| 资阳市| 曲靖市| 正镶白旗| 庆云县| 余庆县| 斗六市| 舟曲县|