Beijing:
More than 200,000 coastal residents in eastern China have evacuated and thousands of ships have been called back to shore ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Muifa, a powerful tropical storm that has already battered the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan.
Zhejiang province moved 206,664 people from its coastal areas while another 80,400 residents were evacuated in Fujian province, according to local government websites. Thousands of ships along the east coast had also been called back to shore, the statements said.
Typhoon Muifa was forecast to hit China sometime between Sunday morning and late Sunday afternoon, China's Central Meteorological Administration said. The storm is expected to make landfall in either northern Zhejiang or southern Jiangsu and skim the coast as it heads north.
The administration issued its highest alert yet this year due to the storm, which was packing winds of 102 mph (162 kph). It said the storm likely would intensify as it neared China's coast.
China's commercial hub of Shanghai, which has a population of 23 million, lay in Muifa's expected path but it was unclear whether the city would take a direct hit from the storm, the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported. Torrential rain was forecast for the city beginning Saturday, it said.
The Shanghai Daily said delays and cancellations were expected at the city's two airports and all outdoor events planned for the weekend had been called off or delayed. Construction projects near the coast were also suspended, it said.
An emergency message from the U.S. government to Americans living or travelling in eastern China suggested they "stock up on emergency supplies of food, water, and cash in case of storm-related power outages."
China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center warned Muifa could churn up 36-foot-high (11-metre-high) waves in the East China Sea and 16-foot (5-metre) waves off the coast.
Last week, Typhoon Muifa killed four people in the Philippines even though it did not make landfall. The storm caused power outages and injuries as it passed by Japan's southern island of Okinawa on Friday and dusted northern Taiwan with light rain and moderate winds earlier Friday.
Kyodo News agency reported the typhoon had caused 27 injuries on Okinawa and power was out to more than 60,000 homes. The centre of the storm was offshore but high winds and heavy rain were forecast until Saturday morning.
North Korea's state news agency reported late Friday that some parts of the country would get heavy rains from the typhoon between Monday and Tuesday. Flooding in recent weeks has caused deaths and damage to homes and farmland in the impoverished country.
Zhejiang province moved 206,664 people from its coastal areas while another 80,400 residents were evacuated in Fujian province, according to local government websites. Thousands of ships along the east coast had also been called back to shore, the statements said.
Typhoon Muifa was forecast to hit China sometime between Sunday morning and late Sunday afternoon, China's Central Meteorological Administration said. The storm is expected to make landfall in either northern Zhejiang or southern Jiangsu and skim the coast as it heads north.
The administration issued its highest alert yet this year due to the storm, which was packing winds of 102 mph (162 kph). It said the storm likely would intensify as it neared China's coast.
China's commercial hub of Shanghai, which has a population of 23 million, lay in Muifa's expected path but it was unclear whether the city would take a direct hit from the storm, the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported. Torrential rain was forecast for the city beginning Saturday, it said.
The Shanghai Daily said delays and cancellations were expected at the city's two airports and all outdoor events planned for the weekend had been called off or delayed. Construction projects near the coast were also suspended, it said.
An emergency message from the U.S. government to Americans living or travelling in eastern China suggested they "stock up on emergency supplies of food, water, and cash in case of storm-related power outages."
China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center warned Muifa could churn up 36-foot-high (11-metre-high) waves in the East China Sea and 16-foot (5-metre) waves off the coast.
Last week, Typhoon Muifa killed four people in the Philippines even though it did not make landfall. The storm caused power outages and injuries as it passed by Japan's southern island of Okinawa on Friday and dusted northern Taiwan with light rain and moderate winds earlier Friday.
Kyodo News agency reported the typhoon had caused 27 injuries on Okinawa and power was out to more than 60,000 homes. The centre of the storm was offshore but high winds and heavy rain were forecast until Saturday morning.
North Korea's state news agency reported late Friday that some parts of the country would get heavy rains from the typhoon between Monday and Tuesday. Flooding in recent weeks has caused deaths and damage to homes and farmland in the impoverished country.
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