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Typhoons threaten Okinawa and China; Taiwan cleaning up

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AP
A man walks down a lane of water damaged furniture from heavy rains brought by Typhoon Tembin in Pingtung county

Typhoons are threatening to come ashore in Okinawa and China over the weekend.

China issued storm warnings for southern and eastern regions of the country as two typhoons approached its coast.

The National Committee for Disaster Reduction sent teams to the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi to help local authorities prepare for Typhoon Tembin, which swept through parts of Taiwan today, and also to get ready for Typhoon Bolaven, which may hit in a few days, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Heavy rains were forecast for the regions from today, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Flood waters from Typhoon Tembin reached 9 feet high in the town of Hengchun in Pingtung county, and armored vehicles rescued several dozen people from their flooded homes. Television pictures from Hengchun showed empty buses overturned by raging waters and streets littered with uprooted trees and pieces of mangled furniture.

Troops were also deployed in Kaohsiung county to rescue villagers stranded by the overflowing Laonung River. Winds measuring close to 96 mph toppled trees and blew out windows in the area, but no casualties have been reported.

Typhoon Bolaven was approaching southern Japan. The storm had winds of 89 mph today and was likely to strengthen, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Before heading to China, the storm could hit Okinawa on Sunday with maximum winds near the eye of 112 mph.

Four typhoons have hit China this month, producing record rainfall in coastal provinces, the weather agency said.

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