Beijing: About 174,000 people from east China's Fujian and Zhejiang provinces have been forced to seek cover and nearly 55,000 fishing boats have returned to port to take shelter from the approaching Typhoon Megi. China has already issued an orange alert for Megi, the 17th typhoon this year.
Megi made landfall at Hualien in eastern Taiwan about 2:00 pm on Tuesday, disrupting traffic and leaving more than 1.9 million homes without power. In Taiwan, it killed four people and injured scores , bringing violent winds and heavy rain.
It is expected to make a second landfall in Fujian on Wednesday morning, bringing heavy rain and gales to Fujian and neighboring provinces.
Schools in five cities in Fujian, including its provincial capital of Fuzhou, have been ordered to suspend classes in the next two or three days.
A total of 266 trains through Fujian were expected to be cancelled in the next two days while bus services were also affected. Over 150 flights at three major airports in Fujian have been cancelled, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Hu Raowen, an official with the Zhejiang Provincial Headquarters of Flood Control and Drought Relief, said heavy rains could cause natural disasters and therefore precautions should be taken.
Last week, Meranti, the strongest typhoon to hit China this year, killed at least ten people in Zhejiang, with most casualties being caused by landslides and flash floods in rural areas.
