People are evacuated in Ningde, Fujian Province on August 7. Weather forecasters said late Saturday typhoon Morakot was likely to land on the coast from Cangnan, Zhejiang Province, to Xiapu, neighboring Fujian Province, between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Sunday. [Xinhua]

Typhoon Morakot, the eighth of the year, forced the evacuation of nealry 1 million people in two coastal east China provinces on Sunday.

More than 490,000 residents of Zhejiang and more than 505,000 from Fujian have been relocated to safety.

People are evacuated in Ningde, Fujian Province on August 7. Weather forecasters said late Saturday typhoon Morakot was likely to land on the coast from Cangnan, Zhejiang Province, to Xiapu, neighboring Fujian Province, between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Sunday.

In Zhejiang approximately 35,440 ships have been called back from sea, the provincial flood-control headquarters said Sunday morning.

Typhoon Morakot landed in east China's Fujian Province at 4:20 PM on Sunday, packing winds up to 12 kilometers per hour in its eye.

The 8th typhoon of the year made landfall in the coastal areas of Beibi Town, Xiapu County of Ningde City, the provincial meteorological bureau said.

Zhejiang issued a red alert, the highest, Sunday morning, as it registered a maximum wind speed of nearly 180 km an hour in the coastal Taizhou City area. Gales, expected to last for 60 hours, were expected to cause waves up to 7 meters.

Strong winds and heavy rainstorms have already caused problems in the province and are expected to do further damage when the typhoon lands.

Wenzhou City airport has canceled 39 domestic flights, the airport authority said.

Floods and landslides triggered by continuous rainfall paralyzed traffic in many rural areas.

Officials in some Zhejiang villages were riding bicycles to distribute drinking water and instant noodles to households stranded by deep water.

"Some villages have been inundated and vehicles can't reach them," said taxi driver Wang Jian.

The province registered its greatest precipitation of 800 mm in Taishun County, Wenzhou.

A number of expressways in the province had been closed, said the provincial highway management authority.

Morakot has also caused havoc in Fujian.

A cargo ship was stranded amid strong winds and rescuers were trying to rescue its eight sailors.

The ship, Daqing 254, lost control at about 2:30 AM Sunday as it was attempting to take shelter from the wind.

The vessel, with a capacity of more than 30,000 tonnes, has been blown on to a reef area on Qingshan Island near Ningde City.

Li Saixi, a native of Qiyu Village in Luoyuan County, was busy pumping water out of his basement following a downpour Saturday night.

"The rain gushed into my house at midnight and the water level had reached to my thigh about 2:00 AM", he said.

Owners of many coastal aquafarms were securing production facilities as strong winds pushed up high waves.

The supply of vegetables and seafoods to outdoor markets of agricultural products in Lianjiang County has been severely cut, and workers are clearing streets after strong winds scattered trash.

Shanghai, directly north of Zhejiang, has released stored water from inland rivers to reduce levels by up to 40 cm in preparation for the typhoon's arrival, the municipal flood control headquarters said Sunday.

Water conservation and disaster-control authorities of Anhui Province were dispatching working teams to reinforce preventative measures in disaster-prone areas before the typhoon arrives.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2009)