Follow us on:   

China on orange alert for Typhoon Haiyan
November 8, 2013, 7:24 pm

Wind gusts reached up to 275 km/h as Typhoon Haiyan battered central and eastern Philippines [AP]

Wind gusts reached up to 275 km/h as Typhoon Haiyan battered central and eastern Philippines [AP]

The China National Marine Environmental Forecasting Centre (NMEFC) has called on all boats and ships  to return to port ahead of Typhoon Haiyan approaching the eastern region of the South China Sea.

NMEFC warned that 6-9 metre waves will be visible by mid-day on Saturday and issued an orange alert for the southeast region. Orange is the second-highest threat level in a four-colour weather warning system.

Three-metre waves have been reported near Dongsha Island, 340km southeast of Hong Kong, as the Typhoon heads toward Laos and Vietnam, where it is expected to make landfall on Sunday.

The Centre also warned of rough waters in the Bohai and Yellow Seas on Saturday with 3 to 4.5 metre waves; two to three metre waves will hit Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin and the Shandong Peninsula.

Typhoon Haiyan is the 30th such storm to hit China this year, and is likely to be the most powerful ever recorded.

In early October, China’s southern and southeastern regions were hit by Typhoons Wutip and Fitow, with the latter creating 12-metre waves in the South China Sea.

Typhoon Haiyan first battered eastern and central Philippines on Friday with winds reaching up to 240 km/h and gusts of 275 km/h downing power and phone lines.

At press time, four people were reported killed and at least 700,000  were evacuated in some 40 provinces to 660 emergency relief centres.

Power outages hit tens of thousands of homes as some cities reported flooding. Phone lines and other communications were also out; many roads could not be traveled leaving remote areas without assistance.

Source: Agencies