Typhoon Chan-Hom moves slower, wreaks havoc in E China

Photo taken on July 11, 2015 shows farmlands submerged by flood water in Qiantan Village, Sanmen County of east China's Zhejiang Province. The approaching Typhoon Chan-Hom has brought gales and rainstorms to Zhejiang Province, east China, forcing hundreds of flights to be canceled and highways to be closed, local authorities said Saturday. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

HANGZHOU, July 11 -- The approaching Typhoon Chan-Hom was moving slower on Saturday morning and it's now forecast to either make landfall between noon and evening in east China's Zhejiang Province or just pass through.

As of 10 a.m. on Saturday, Typhoon Chan-Hom was in the sea 130 km southeast of Xiangshan County. It is moving northwestward at a speed of 15 km per hour, down from the 20 km per hour on Friday night, said Hu Yaowen, deputy head of the provincial flood control and drought prevention headquarters.

According to the typhoon's direction of movement, it may narrowly pass the province and continue northward, said Hu.

Compared with making landfall, the narrow pass would delay the typhoon's waning process and make it more destructive, he said.

Ships that are under construction at harbor and are not tightly fastened are likely to be drawn out to sea, he warned.

The typhoon has brought gales and rainstorms to Zhejiang, forcing hundreds of flights to be canceled and highways to be closed, local authorities said Saturday.

So far no casualties have been reported. A number of villages were flooded and power and road access has been cut off.

As of Saturday morning, nine counties had recorded more than 100 mm of rain since Friday. Lai'ao Village in Sanmen County reported a record 404 mm of rainfall, according to the provincial flood control and drought prevention headquarters.

More than 960,000 people in the province have been evacuated and 29,641 ships recalled to port. The water level of 37 large and medium-sized reservoirs had exceeded the danger level.

More than 600 flights were canceled on Saturday in the cities of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Taizhou. More than 7,300 coaches and all passenger ships suspended services.