600,000 people evacuated as tropical storm makes landfall

Reports on 29 July 2008 indicate that approximately 600,000 people were evacuated from Fujian and Zhejiang provinces on China's southeastern coast as tropical storm Fung-Wong made landfall late on 28 July. Many flights at Fuzhou Airport (ZSFZ/FOC) were canceled due to the severe weather. In addition, transformer stations and electricity transmission lines were damaged in Fujian Puxia County, causing power to be cut off. Meanwhile, approximately 170 passengers at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport (ZPPP/KMG) in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, became violent after their flights were delayed due to the storm and accommodations were not offered. Passengers smashed computers and desks as they fought with airport police officers. Local sources indicate that stranded passengers were forced to sleep on an aircraft or in a hallway at the airport without food after being directed to hotels that rejected them upon arrival. According to meteorologists at Wilkens Weather Technologies, Feng-Wong is currently located 184 mi/296 km west-northwest of Taipei, Taiwan, and is moving northwest at 15 mph/13 kt with maximum sustained winds of 83 mph/45 kt and gusts of 102 mph/55 kt. Feng-Wong is rapidly weakening after making landfall and will dissipate over the next 12 hours.