TAIPEI: Wu Den-yih, head of the Executive Yuan, yesterday instructed relevant government agencies to take measures to prepare early against approaching Typhoon Lupit, saying that the more people prepare themselves, the less they will suffer.

Wu has asked the commission in charge of disaster prevention and protection to maintain close contact with local governments for timely issuance of evacuation orders or pre-warning against flooding and mudslides as the typhoon approaches, according to Executive Yuan spokesman Su Jun-pin.

Wu also instructed the defense authorities to deploy troops and equipment beforehand to facilitate rescue preparedness, even if it is unclear whether the typhoon will hit Taiwan directly, Su said.

At 11 am yesterday, the storm was centered about 540 km east-southeast of Taiwan's southernmost tip of Eluanbi, moving at a speed of 9-5 kph in a west-southwesterly direction toward the northern region of Luzon Island in the Philippines, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

The bureau forecasted that the typhoon, which combined with the northeastern monsoon, brought rain to northern and eastern Taiwan Wednesday night and will continue to bring wet weather to Taiwan until next Tuesday.

Although the storm is weakening, CWB meteorologists said it could change course Friday or Saturday and move in a more northerly direction toward Taiwan.

The bureau may issue a sea warning for the typhoon on Friday at the earliest if the storm changes its course and moves toward Taiwan.

Northern and eastern parts of Taiwan are expected to be most affected by heavy rains the typhoon is expected to bring in the following days.

Meanwhile, the CWB forecasted that temperatures island-wide would drop to an average low of 21 degrees Celsius yesterday, about 2 degrees lower than the average recorded the day before. The highs yesterday were forecast at 25 degrees in the north, 28 degrees in the east and 30 degrees in central and southern Taiwan.

In Lanyu, or Orchid Island, off Taiwan's eastern county of Taitung, schools and offices were closed yesterday afternoon after hurricane-force winds whipped the island in the morning.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 10/23/2009 page2)