TAIPEI/BEIJING • Taiwan issued a warning to ships and airlines cancelled some flights yesterday as the island braced itself for Typhoon Talim, which was expected to hit northern cities before hurtling towards China potentially as a super typhoon.
Talim is expected to gain in strength as it sweeps towards Taiwan's northern cities, lashing them with strong winds and heavy rain, the Central Weather Bureau said.
The brunt of the storm would be felt today when it is expected to slam into the north and north-east with maximum sustained wind speeds of 137kmh and gusts of up to 173kmh, the bureau said.
Premier William Lai Ching-te said: "Typhoon Talim has been changing course and is not entirely predictable. It's been expected to hit Taiwan directly, but its trajectory has altered further northward and eastward."
It was not yet decided whether the Taiwan government would close financial markets, companies and schools today.
China Airlines and EVA Airways, Taiwan's two largest carriers, said they would cancel some international flights yesterday.
Formosa Petrochemical, Taiwan's second-biggest oil supplier, said it was prepared to close its supply port if necessary.
As of 5pm yesterday, two flights between Singapore and Taipei were cancelled and two other flights were delayed.
Typhoons are a seasonal routine for Taiwan, but it has stepped up preparations since Typhoon Morakot in 2009. Morakot was the deadliest typhoon to hit the island in recorded history, killing close to 700 people, most in landslides.
In mainland China, more than 200,000 people in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces have been evacuated, China's official Xinhua news agency said.
As early as tonight, Talim could make landfall along Zhejiang's northern coast as a strong typhoon, packing gusts of up to 173kmh, the China Meteorological Administration said. The agency maintained an orange warning - the second-highest in a four-tier colour-coded system for severe weather.
Talim could strengthen into a super typhoon with winds of 187kmh in the late afternoon today.
The railway bureau in Shanghai, north of Zhejiang, said it had stopped selling tickets for hundreds of trains.
The storm is expected to turn north-east towards Japan tomorrow, while another heads towards southern China and Vietnam.
Tropical storm Doksuri is expected to intensify into a strong typhoon and brush past the southern coast of Hainan province today or early tomorrow.
In the face of the twin typhoons, provinces in their way have been on high alert for heavy rainfall, storm surges, flash floods and landslides.
As many as half a million people may need to be evacuated if the storm intensifies, according to Chinese media reports.
The Fujian meteorological agency said it would maintain its yellow alert for Talim, the second-lowest in the four-tier warning system.
Hainan has suspended trains in and out of the island province over the next few days, while ships and offshore workers have been told to seek shelter. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways said flights to and from Sanya, the southern-most city on Hainan Island, may be affected tomorrow.
Doksuri, known as Maring in the Philippines, had dumped heavy rain on Manila and nearby provinces earlier this week, causing widespread flooding and landslides.
REUTERS
