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Super Typhoon strikes Taiwan Tue Aug 22 2000 9:29am EDT Donna Pistilli Sauer, weather.com Super Typhoon Bilis continues its assault on southern Taiwan this morning, after having caused at least one death.

The typhoon kicked off torrential rains and landslides in southern Taiwan as it approached overnight (Eastern Time). The governments disaster relief agency reported that one man died one of the rain-triggered slides before the typhoon came onshore.

As of early this morning, Bilis was centered just off the southern coast of Taiwan, with top sustained winds of 160 mph and gusts nearing 200 mph. The government of Taiwan has urged all residents to remain indoors and closed government offices, banks and the stock market. The Defense Ministry and state-run electric company have set up disaster relief centers, and the military is on alert.

Residents in Taitung City spent yesterday standing in line at supermarkets for food, flashlights, batteries and other disaster supplies, local media reported. The Coast Guard cleared the southern shores of local fishermen, although some adventurous surfers took to the waters to ride the enormous waves caused by the typhoon.

The typhoon is forecast to cross the southern end of Taiwan today, and then emerge into the Taiwan Strait. The system will weaken as it moves across Taiwan, then slightly re-intensify as it enters the Taiwan Strait, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported. Bilis is forecast to make a second landfall on the southeastern China coast within 36 hours with winds as high as 115 mph.

-- K (infosurf@yahoo.com), August 22, 2000