Powerful typhoon nears Taiwan; ships, planes grounded

Image provided by NASA shows Typhoon Nepartak as it approaches Taiwan and the Philippines

A powerful typhoon was approaching eastern Taiwan, churning up huge waves and wind yesterday that grounded fishing boats, commercial ships and planes.
Typhoon Nepartak slowed and weakened slightly yesterday afternoon but remained dangerous, packing maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour and gusts of 240 kph. It was blowing at sea about 160 kilometers northeast of Itbayat town in the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes with a large rain diameter of 650 kilometers, according to the Philippine weather agency.
It is forecast to make landfall this morning south of Hualien city in eastern Taiwan. Big waves were already lashing the shore of nearby Ilan port city, where fishermen tightened their boats. Forecasters said waves of 1 to 7 meters could batter the coast, inland lakes and beachfront areas.
Restaurant owner Chen Mang-ning said he had to put a lock on the rolling door of his establishment to protect the windows from strong wind.
“Yes, I am worried about it, same as everyone here,” said fisherman Chen Chun-po.
Hong Kong’s two biggest airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair, said they were cancelling flights to and from Taiwan scheduled from yesterday to this afternoon as the storm bore down on the island.
Across the Luzon Strait, in the northern tip of the Philippines, authorities raised storm alerts in Batanes, about 700 kilometers north of Manila, and outlying islands in a sparsely-populated region.
The typhoon will not hit land there but will intensify seasonal southwest monsoon rains, which could spark thunderstorms and flash floods on the main northern Luzon island, said government forecaster Aldzar Aurelio. Some domestic flights were canceled in the northern Philippines.
Nepartak is a Micronesian word for a local warrior.
In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines with ferocious power, leaving more than 7,300 people dead and missing and displacing more than 5 million others after leveling entire villages. AP