Members of local police help fishermen evacuate to the shore in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, on August 6, 2009. The eye of Typhoon Morakot was located at 840 kilometers east of Fuzhou City as of 11:00 AM on Thursday. The Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters expected Morakot to strengthen into a strong typhoon and to make landfall from Saturday noon to Sunday morning. The national flood control administration announced the III level emergency alert and called for full preparations for the strong typhoon Morakot. [Xinhua]

More than 20,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in southeast China's coast of Fujian Province where strong typhoon Morakot is predicted to land on Saturday.

The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said on Friday that about 34,000 vessels had been recalled to port and 21,190 people in the cities of Ningde, Putian and Fuzhou had been relocated to safe areas.

Waves as high as six meters were already hitting the coastal area on Friday, and the provincial meteorological observatory said they could reach up to nine meters as the typhoon came closer.

According to the observatory, Morakot, classified as a strong typhoon, was 540 kilometers east of Xiapu County of Fujian early Friday, packing winds up to 144 km per hour at its center.

The provincial government has sent 8.4 million text messages to mobile phone users, warning people of its approach.

The observatory forecast the typhoon would make a landfall in northern and central Fujian on Saturday and bring heavy rain and strong gales to coastal regions.

According to the Taiwan weather department, Morakot was slowing, but remained a strong typhoon, indicating both its impact and the duration would increase.

It was about 270 kilometers southeast of the island's eastern Yilan county at 5:00 AM on Friday and was expected to make a landfall Friday evening between Hualien and Yilan counties in the southeast of the island.

Schools in almost all cities and counties on the island and the Taipei stock market closed Friday.

As of Friday morning, most domestic and some international flights, mostly to Hong Kong, had been canceled.

The local authorities said train services would be suspended or reduced by Friday noon.