2010-09-21 08:16

Fanapi makes landfall on mainland after wreaking havoc across Straits

FUZHOU - Typhoon Fanapi, the strongest typhoon to hit China so far this year, struck East China's Fujian province and South China's Guangdong province on Monday, one day after slamming Taiwan with heavy rain, leaving more than 100 people injured on the island.

Fanapi made landfall at 7 am in Gulei town, in Fujian's Zhangzhou city, with peak wind gusts of 35 meters per second. Rainfall of more than 250 mm was predicted to hit parts of Fujian, as the typhoon moved inland at a speed of 20 km per hour, according to the Fujian provincial weather bureau.

The typhoon then entered eastern Guangdong at around 10 am after weakening to a tropical storm, according to the Guangdong provincial weather bureau.

Schools in Zhangzhou were closed on Monday and two primary schools were used to shelter construction workers.

"Gulei has more than 3,000 workers living in makeshift houses at construction sites. All of them have been relocated. About 2,600 are staying with local residents and 400 are taking shelter in the schools," said Chen Hanfu, Party secretary of Zhangpu county, which administers Gulei.

It was the first time that Tang Fudi, a migrant worker from the inland province of Sichuan, had encountered a typhoon. "It wasn't very scary," he said.

The rain was not as heavy in Gulei, but the waves that rolled in off the Taiwan Straits testified to the force of the strongest typhoon to hit Fujian so far this year.

The silver lining is that the heavy rainfall is greatly needed, as Zhangzhou enters the dry season with 470 local reservoirs only half full.

In Xiamen city, near Zhangzhou, kindergartens, primary and middle schools were all closed.

"With such strong wind and rain, it is difficult for adults to get around, let alone the kids, so it's better for them to stay at home," said Xiamen resident Yang Diwang.

Few people ventured out onto the streets on Monday morning, as the storm uprooted trees, ripped off tree branches and knocked over billboards.

People took taxis to work in Xiamen, where resident Yang Yanhui said: "It's very difficult to hail a cab today. I waited for half an hour."

Gulangyu, a popular holiday destination off the coast of Xiamen, was also hit by torrential rain, confining tourists inside hotels on the island.

All tourist attractions in Xiamen were closed since noon on Sunday and the ferry between Gulangyu and Xiamen was suspended, according to the city's Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

Yu Congwei, a 27-year-old Beijing engineer who took his parents to Gulangyu to celebrate his father's 55th birthday on Monday, said the torrential downpours upset his plans, because the cake could not be sent to the island due to the heavy rain.

All flights to and from Xiamen airport had been suspended since 7 pm on Sunday, with thousands of passengers left stranded. Flights were expected to resume at 5 pm on Monday.

No casualties were reported and the damage has yet to be assessed.

Fujian provincial flood control headquarters warned of possible flooding, landslides and debris flows and asked flood control officials to relocate people in areas at risk, said Zhang Changping, vice-governor of Fujian.

Meteorological authorities in the coastal cities could lift their typhoon warnings once the wind and waves subside, said Zhang.

In Guangdong, Fanapi was expected to sweep westward across the province, bringing downpours and gusts of strong wind on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Guangdong provincial weather bureau.

About 60,000 fishing boats in Guangdong had been ordered to seek shelter in safe harbors as the storm approached.

Before hitting the Chinese mainland, Fanapi made landfall in Taiwan on Sunday near the eastern coastal city of Hualien.

Taiwan's meteorological department lifted the typhoon warning for land areas on Monday morning as the typhoon moved away, but the department warned of strong wind and heavy rain continuing in Kinmen and Penghu.

A total of 107 people were injured by the typhoon in Taiwan, where some received cuts from broken glass and others sustained injuries from falling off their motorcycles in the strong wind, according to Taiwan media reports.

On Monday, Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu ordered local governments in areas vulnerable to the typhoon to reinforce protection measures, in order to guarantee people's safety and minimize economic losses.

Xinhua contributed to this story.