Typhoon Haiyan homes in on northern Taiwan

The Central Weather Bureau issued land and sea warnings yesterday as Typhoon Haiyan (海燕) gained strength far off the nation's eastern coast.

Haiyan is expected to whirl near the northeastern part of the island late today and tomorrow, the Central Weather Bureau said.

Land warnings were issued for major cities in northern and eastern Taiwan, including Hualien, Keelung, Taipei and Hsinchu.

Forecasters were not certain whether the typhoon will hit land, but they warned that Haiyan could pose a serious threat to Taiwan by spawning deadly flash flooding and mudslides.

"No matter whether it makes landfall or not, there will be heavy rain in northern Taiwan throughout [today and tomorrow]," a weather bureau forecaster said.

Local governments have set up emergency rescue centers as the storm continued to gain force and developed into a powerful typhoon.

Haiyan could bring rainfall of up to 1,000mm in some mountainous areas.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) -- still reeling from his poor performance during Typhoon Nari -- said he would stay at the city's rescue center over the next few days. Ma also ordered officials to check flood-control measures, including water pumps, drainage systems and dykes.

The typhoon is currently 560km southeast of the east coast, packing winds of up to 130kph and gusts of up to 165kph, the bureau said. Haiyan -- the Chinese name of a sea bird also known as a petrel -- was moving at 18kph.

Haiyan is the 21st typhoon of this year's season, which typically falls between June and September.

The deadliest typhoon this summer was Toraji, which caused landslides and floods that killed about 200 people in central and eastern Taiwan in July.