Typhoon Morakot hits Taiwan, China evacuates thousands
August 7th, 2009 - 2:31 pm ICT by adminTAIPEI, Taiwan (BNO NEWS) — Typhoon Morakot hit the southeast Asian island of Taiwan at around midday local time on Friday, authorities say, blasting the coast with recorded wind speeds of up to 89 mph.
NASA satellite scans show Typhoon Morakot having a massive diameter of nearly 528 miles across.
Schools and most businesses were closed throughout Taiwan on Friday. In China, meanwhile, more than 200,000 residents were told to quickly pack their bags and abandon their homes for evacuation, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Tourists and citizens on the adjacent Chinese coastal area have been urged to leave the area before the storm makes landfall on Saturday. Many flights to and from nearby Chinese areas were delayed until the storm passes.
The typhoon is expected to gain strength before it makes landfall in the Zhejiang province of China by Saturday.
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Tags: authorities, bno, citizens, coastal area, diameter, flights, landfall, local time, midday, nasa, nasa satellite, province of china, southeast asian, taipei taiwan, taiwan china, tourists, typhoon morakot, wind speeds, xinhua news agency, zhejiang province