Three thousand armed police have been stationed in southeastern
province of Fujian, ready to launch rescue and relief
operations when Typhoon Kaemi hits.
About 130 vans and 80 speed boats were provided for rescue
teams, officials with the provincial headquarters of armed police
said, and they had gathered more than 3,500 life vests and 2,000
life buoys.
Rescue teams had undergone extensive training, focusing on how
to carry out rescue work in the dark.
The police were equipped with signal generators and waterproof
lights to ensure the safety of night operations.
The armed police said they had carefully studied the possible
routes of Kaemi and removed a number of obstacles that might pose
risks.
At 3:00 PM Monday, Typhoon Kaemi was located 260 kilometers
southeast of Taiwan's Hualien, said the provincial meteorological
station. The fifth typhoon to hit China this year, Kaemi, is
packing winds of 144 kilometers per hour.
The eye of the typhoon is moving northwest at about 15
kilometers per hour and is expected to hit the east coast of Taiwan
late Monday night or in the early hours of Tuesday, the station
said.
It will land on the coast of Fujian Tuesday night or Wednesday
morning, bringing strong winds and rainstorms.
In the eastern provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, about 7,000
people from fishing families on coastal stilt houses, mostly the
elderly and children, were ordered to return to the shore on
Monday.
About 30,000 others will be brought back to shore earlier on
Tuesday.
(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2006)