The approach of a strong tropical storm yesterday severely
disrupted transport in parts of south China's Hainan and Guangdong provinces.?
The storm, "Jelawat," was expected to hit somewhere between
Dianbai County in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan late last night,
sources with the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Bureau
explained.?
As of yesterday morning the eye of the storm was located nearly
300 kilometers southeast of the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong
Province with strong northeasterly winds of about 20 kilometers per
hour.
Haikou Maritime Safety Bureau issued a notice yesterday before
the storm's arrival to call in all shipping operating in the
Qiongzhou Strait.
Trains from Haikou to Guangzhou running across the Qiongzhou
Strait were also suspended according to staff at Haikou Railway
Station. It has not been clarified as to when ships and trains can
resume working.?
Considering the storm's route and severity the disaster relief
office in Guangdong urged relevant departments to implement
effective measures to prevent potential disasters and loss of life.
But the storm did bring heavy rain which helped ease the week-long
heat wave in Guangdong.
Temperatures in Guangdong hit their highest level so far this
year rising above 36 ℃? in most cities. Influenced by the
storm the provincial capital Guangzhou had temperatures between
26-31 ℃? yesterday accompanied by heavy rain.
Guangdong, along with other coastal provinces in south China, is
a frequent victim of tropical storms. Early in May, Typhoon
Chanchu, the first tropical storm of this year, hit the province
resulting in more than 180,000 people being evacuated from coastal
areas.?
(China Daily June 29, 2006)
