Residents were evacuated and boats were back in harbor in east China Tuesday, as Typhoon Maria, the eighth typhoon this year, approached the Chinese coast. Maria is forecast to bypass northern Taiwan before making landfall between Fuqing of Fujian Province and Cangnan of Zhejiang Province Wednesday morning, bringing gales, high waves and heavy rain, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Some areas in Taiwan, Fujian and Zhejiang are expected to receive precipitation of 250-350 mm in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Fujian has ordered all fishing boats to return to harbor by Tuesday noon and workers at offshore fish farms were required to return to land by 6 p.m. In Fuzhou, the provincial capital of Fujian, schools and factories in coastal areas were asked to close Wednesday. Ongoing projects involving highways and ports were suspended. Eighty-six teams made up of around 1,500 […]