TAIWAN ISSUES WARNING AS TYPHOON MARIA APPROACHES

TAIPEI: Ferries were suspended and farmers rushed for last- minute harvests on Monday as Taiwan braced for Typhoon Maria, with warnings of possible mudslides and flooding as the storm nears. Maria was 1,100 kilometers east- southeast of the capital Taipei with gusts of up to 200 kilometers an hour as of 2: 30 p. m. local time ( 0630 GMT). Waves were starting to pound the island’s north and east coasts with the weather bureau predicting the typhoon’s impact would be strongest on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Interior Minister Yeh Jiunn- rong urged the public to be vigilant and to cooperate with any preventative evacuation. No evacuations have taken place so far but Yeh warned that heavy rains posed the risk of floodwaters and mudslides. The defense ministry announced more than 30,000 soldiers would be on standby to help with disaster prevention. The typhoon would not make a direct hit if it continued on its current trajectory, which would see it skim Taiwan’s northern tip, according to the weather bureau. The bureau urged the public to avoid water activities and warned fishing boats to take precautions in a Monday afternoon sea warning.