Typhoon Krosa lashed Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rains Saturday, cutting power to nearly half a million homes and disrupting air and sea traffic. Mainland China braced for the storm, REPORTED AP. As of 4 p.m. (0800 GMT), Krosa was centered at sea about 30 kilometers (18 miles) southeast of Ilan in northeastern Taiwan, with sustained winds of 184 kph (114 mph), the Central Weather Bureau said. The northern Taiwan port city of Keelung bore the typhoon's brunt as a massive power cut blacked out 400,000 households, officials said. TVBS Cable News showed wind gusts knocking over motorcycles, but said the riders were unhurt. The island's capital, Taipei, was eerily quiet with shops and offices closed and residents staying home. Officials said strong winds uprooted more than 200 trees in the city, while knee-deep water flooded a residential area in suburban Peitou. Heavy rain triggered a landslide along a major eastern Taiwan highway, the United Evening News reported. About 2,000 households suffered power outages in northern Miaoli County, where a raging river destroyed a village bridge, officials said. Cathay Pacific Airways canceled flights from Taipei to Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. Dragon Airlines also canceled flights between Taiwan and Hong Kong. Ferry services were halted between Taiwan, Green Island and the island of Lanyu, and several domestic flights were canceled, officials said. The storm was expected to cross northern Taiwan as it moved toward southern China. It was expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain throughout Saturday and early Sunday, the Central Weather Bureau said. The Disaster Relief Center issued flash-flood alerts for 17 major rivers and cautioned local authorities to evacuate landslide-prone areas. Krosa is the Cambodian word for crane. In the northern part of mainland China's Fujian province, officials ordered tourists away from coastal islands and seaside scenic spots by 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) Saturday. Neighboring Zhejiang province had issued a similar order late Friday, with 2,500 being evacuated from an island off the city of Wenzhou, the Xinhua News Agency said. Ferries, sightseeing boats and fishing vessels were also ordered to head for safe harbors, the provincial governments said in notices posted on their Web sites. More than 138,000 people were relocated to safer ground and 27,000 fishing boats were recalled to port in the two provinces, the national flood control office said in a notice on its Web site. Krosa was forecast to strike southern Zhejiang and northern Fujian late Sunday, the notices said. China is nearing the end of a weeklong National Day holiday, and the Zhejiang-Fujian coast is popular with tourists. The area also frequently suffers the worst of typhoons. To make sure evacuations went smoothly, Zhejiang ordered government officials who had been on holiday to return to work. The national flood control office also ordered the provinces to closely monitor Krosa. Drivers taking part in the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, 300 kilometers (200 miles) to the north, were also bracing for wet conditions for Saturday's qualifier and Sunday's final.
