Typhoon Kai-Tak sweeps across the South China Sea after devastating parts of Philippines

Al-Jazeera.com: Tropical Storm Kai-Tak has strengthened into a typhoon and is sweeping across the South China Sea towards southern China after devastating parts of the Philippines. The storm edged away from the Philippines on Thursday, offering some relief for millions of people struggling to recover from a brutal few weeks of monsoon rains that claimed more than 100 lives.

But along the South China coast, residents braced themselves as Kai-Tak continued to intensify. "The cities, Hong Kong included, all along the South China coast have been making preparations for this typhoon," Al Jazeera's Rob McBride reported from Hong Kong on Thursday. "The track of it is actually just moving south of us in the South China Sea, but it's already making its presence felt all along the coast here.

"We are starting to get gusts of wind, the strongest winds are expected during the overnight hours. That's when we can expect damage and also possibly disruption to flights and so on. And after that comes the rain. We have already seen the damage that [the storm] has done in the Philippines. We are expecting extensive flooding along the South China coast," he added.

Benito Ramos, Philippines' civil defence chief, meanwhile said floods there could still hit the Cagayan river basin, a farming region of more than two million people as runoff from storm-induced rains descend from surrounding mountain ranges....

The path of Kai Tak, created by Keith Edkins, public domain