Typhoon hits Taiwan after swiping Philippines

Taipei, Aug 17: A super-strength typhoon that brought flooding to parts of the Philippines tore into Taiwan today, forcing the cancellation of flights and sending coastal residents rushing to secure their homes.

Waves swelled, winds picked up and rain battered the north of the island as Typhoon Sepat made landfall, a disaster relief official and local media said. Two counties ordered class and work stoppages effective today afternoon, TV stations reported.

''There's already a huge wind, and waves hitting the coast pose a danger,'' said Fei Yu, a resident of coastal Taitung County. ''Most people living here are making preparations at home to ride out the storm.'' In the southern city of Kaohsiung, 16 domestic flights and one international flight were cancelled.

All flights from Taipei's domestic airport were due to stop in the evening. The Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, near Taipei, also cancelled southbound flights to avoid the storm.

Sepat will probably smack into the cities of Kaohsiung and Taichung, both with populations of more than 1 million, early tomorrow and then pummel the Chinese coast, according to Tropical Storm Risk (www.tropicalstormrisk.com).

The eye of the category 5 typhoon was 320 km (200 miles) off the coast of Taiwan as of 1030 IST packing sustained winds of 184 kph (114 mph) and gusts up to 227 kph (141 mph).

China's southeastern province of Fujian was bracing for the typhoon to make landfall tomorrow evening or Sunday morning, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Typhoons draw strength from warm waters of the South Pacific and South China Sea, regularly targeting the Philippines, Japan, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong over the summer, sometimes with catastrophic effect.

Rains exacerbated by Typhoon Sepat continued to soak Manila and surrounding provinces today after the cyclone brought the Philippine capital to a near standstill two days earlier with major roads near Manila under water up to 5 feet (1.5 metres) deep in places.

Schools remained shut in the capital and the north of the country, while the government suspended work in public offices from 1 p m (1030IST) to let employees get home before flooding made roads impassable.

Some areas of the city were already submerged in waist-deep waters. Power failed in parts of the capital due to the strong winds and rains. In neighbouring Rizal province, authorities urged residents in landslide-prone areas to evacuate their homes.

REUTERS >