While the coastal provinces of Guangdong and Fujian have enjoyed little time to recover after being hard hit by Typhoon Bilis, both locations are on high alert as Typhoon Kaemi approaches.

As of 2 PM yesterday, the eye of Kaemi was located about 220 kilometers east of Hengchun, Taiwan Province, and was moving northwestward at 18 to 20 kilometers per hour, sources with the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Bureau said.

The typhoon was expected to hit the central and southern parts of Taiwan's eastern coastal areas sometime between last night and this morning.

"It will pass across the Taiwan Straits and land in the central and southern areas of Fujian Tuesday night or Wednesday morning," Lu Shan, chief forecaster of the bureau, said.

The Office of Flood and Drought Relief in Fujian Province ordered all vessels to return to harbor last night and local governments have been advised to pay special attention to the safety of people living in temporary shelters in coal mines and mountainous areas.

The office also asked local governments to boost patrols along reservoirs and dams in preparation for further flooding after Bilis struck the province last week.

At least 43 people died and more than 3 million in Fujian have been affected since Typhoon Bilis swept over most of the province.

Because of Kaemi, most areas in Guangdong will again see rainstorms starting tonight. The eastern areas and two mountainous cities of Meizhou and Heyuan, which were severely hit by Bilis after July 14, will again be hit by heavy rain.

"Although Kaemi is not expected to land in Guangdong, we advised relevant government departments to draft plans to guide against further potential natural disasters," Lu said in an interview with China Daily yesterday.

Kaemi will also bring strong gale winds to the eastern coastal areas in Guangdong, Lu said.

"Special attention should be given to the areas flooded by Bilis, which killed 612 people in China, to prevent further flooding," Lu said.

"Reservoirs and rivers in flood-hit areas can hold no more water after Bilis swept through."

The flood and drought relief office in Guangdong, together with other government organizations, held a working conference yesterday afternoon to develop measures to call fishermen back to shore, check and protect reservoirs, monitor natural disasters such as floods and landslides and arrange the safe evacuation of citizens.

(China Daily July 25, 2006)