China Braces For More Disasters As Tropical Storms Approach
Pastor Dale Morgan
China Braces For More Disasters As Tropical Storms Approach*
by Verna Yu
Beijing (AFP) Aug 08, 2007
China braced for more killer weather on Wednesday as two tropical storms
approached, continuing a devastating spell of natural disasters that
last month left nearly 900 people dead or missing. More than 20,000
people were evacuated from their homes and 50,000 vessels ordered to
return to shore in southeastern China's Fujian province as tropical
storm Pabuk neared after lashing Taiwan, the official Xinhua news agency
said. Pabuk was expected to make landfall late on Wednesday between
Fujian and Guangdong provinces, with tropical storm Wutip not far
behind, the China Meteorological Agency said.
The administration warned residents in the densely populated provinces
of the possibility of landslides and flooding, and advised them to stay
indoors.
Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces also issued circulars urging officials
to prepare for Pabuk, which is expected to sweep those areas from late
Wednesday through to Thursday afternoon, the agency said.
In the southern territory of Hong Kong, a cyclone warning was issued due
to Pabuk, with fishermen urged to quickly seek shelter.
Pabuk had already pounded southern Taiwan with strong winds and
downpours on Wednesday, disrupting traffic and power supply, but not
causing any deaths.
Packing winds of 65 kiometres (40 miles) an hour, Wutip was fast
approaching Taiwan on Wednesday and was then expected to follow a
similar path to Pabuk.
Wutip was expected to strike China's southern coastline by Friday
afternoon, Xinhua said.
Meanwhile, other parts of China were also enduring brutal weather.
Recent flooding in northwest Shaanxi province claimed 17 lives and left
33 others missing, Xinhua reported.
The rainstorms caused landslides, mud-rock flows and flooding in seven
rivers, affecting 175,000 people, it said.
The latest deaths continue a devastating run of weather for China, with
the Ministry of Civil Affairs reporting that natural disasters had left
712 people dead and 163 missing in July.
In a statement posted on its website, the ministry said the tumultuous
floods, landslides and drought across China in July were "far worse than
last year".
The death toll from natural disasters in the vast country in the first
seven months of this year was 1,279, with another 239 missing, according
to the ministry.
Disasters of various kinds have affected 280 million people -- or more
than one in every five Chinese -- and made 6.15 million homeless, it
said, adding that material damage was estimated at 110 billion yuan
(14.5 billion dollars).
Source: Agence France-Presse