Follow us on:   

Southeast China prepares for Typhoon Fitow
October 5, 2013, 6:48 am

The Fujian province was hit with heavy rains and flooding just two weeks ago [Xinhua]

The Fujian province was hit with heavy rains and flooding just two weeks ago [Xinhua]

China’s southeast provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian are on ‘orange alert’ as authorities prepare for the landfall of Typhoon Fitow, the 23rd such storm to batter coastal regions in 2013.

Last week, the armed forces were called in to help with rescue operations when a number of fishing boats were reported missing after Typhoon Wutip hit near the Xisha Islands in the country’s south.

Both Fitow and Wutip were classified orange, the second highest level for a wave warning.

China’s maritime officials said Fitow will bring waves as high as 12 metres in the south East China Sea and waters around the Diaoyu Islands for a period of at least 24 hours.

Chinese meteorologists have been trying to enhance advance warning systems this year.

On September 25, China’s National Space Administration successfully launched a satellite to monitor areas hit by natural disasters and provide crucial information for relief efforts.

The Kuaizhou I satellite will send information to the National Remote Sensing Centre of China, a public institution under the Ministry of Science and Technology, to better prepare for floods and storms.

Source: Agencies