E China bracing for approaching Typhoon Soulik

FUZHOU/HANGZHOU - The eastern Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian on Thursday recalled ships to ports and suspended some marine traffic upon the arrival of Super-typhoon Soulik.

The seventh typhoon to hit China this year, Soulik is expected to land in an area between northern Fujian and southern Zhejiang on Friday night or Saturday morning after skirting Taiwan, meteorological authorities said.

Despite possibilities of moderating to a strong typhoon or a typhoon upon landfall, Soulik will be the most powerful typhoon to affect Fujian in years, according to the Fujian Meteorological Center.

Starting on Friday, the province will experience vehement rainstorms in several cities and winds of up to 149 km per hour in the nearby sea areas, the center said.

Affected by Soulik, three ferry lines linking Taiwan and Fujian, including two carrying passengers and one for both passengers and freight, have been suspended, said the Department of Transportation of Fujian.

Authorities in Zhejiang have also ordered fishing vessels to return to port, as the approaching storm is expected to whip up billows of five to eight meters high in the nearby sea areas starting Thursday night.

The typhoon, however, is expected to break the lingering hot spell that has gripped the province, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in several cities on Thursday.

The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued a national early disaster warning on Thursday afternoon for the arrival of Soulik.

Apart from Zhejiang and Fujian, the municipality of Shanghai, and provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan and Hubei, have been asked to strengthen monitoring, issue early warnings, relocate residents in threatened areas, recall fishing boats and distribute disaster relief supplies in a timely fashion.