Typhoon Dolphin Forces Hundreds of Thousands of Chinese from Homes, Over 1,000 Flights Canceled
Chinese authorities issue highest red alert as densely populated eastern coast braces for typhoon with winds of 162 km/h.
Chinese authorities issue highest red alert as densely populated eastern coast braces for typhoon with winds of 162 km/h.
China faced massive transport disruptions and evacuations on Sunday as its densely populated eastern coast braced for the arrival of Typhoon Dolphin. Authorities issued a red typhoon alert, the highest level of preparedness, and state media reported that more than a thousand flights had been canceled.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that nearly 1,400 flights in and out of Shanghai's two main passenger airports were canceled on Sunday. The state-run newspaper The Paper added that Hongqiao and Pudong airports had canceled about 60 percent of scheduled Sunday flights. In the nearby city of Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province, 270 arriving and departing flights were canceled.
As of Sunday morning, the typhoon had maximum sustained winds of about 162 kilometers per hour. It is expected to make landfall late Sunday or early Monday in Zhejiang or Fujian provinces.
In preparation for the storm's impact, authorities launched extensive evacuations. The state news agency Xinhua reported that nearly 99,000 people had been relocated from high-risk areas in Fujian Province by Saturday evening. In the city of Taizhou, in Zhejiang Province, about 390,000 people were evacuated, while authorities in Shanghai relocated more than 30,000 residents.
Xinhua also reported that more than 200 ferry routes in Zhejiang and Fujian had been suspended. Work on offshore projects was halted, and 474 construction vessels were called into ports by Friday morning. In Zhejiang, all water activities, including ferries and cruises, were suspended. Some railway services in affected areas were also suspended on Sunday to ensure passenger safety.
Before reaching China, Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain and strong winds to Japan's Okinawa and Taiwan. On Okinawa, seven people sustained minor injuries, including a man over 100 years old who was knocked down by a gust of wind, fell, and hit his head. By Sunday afternoon, 5,290 households on the island were without power, according to regional utility Okinawa Electric Power.
On Taiwan, dozens of ferry routes were suspended and more than 180 flights were canceled as the storm's outer bands brought heavy showers and winds to the northern part of the island, including the capital, Taipei, on Saturday.
China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a red typhoon alert on Sunday morning, its most serious warning, forecasting "extraordinary torrential rain" in parts of central and eastern Zhejiang. The NMC predicts that heavy rainfall will also drench Shanghai and parts of Fujian, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces through Monday afternoon. Some areas are expected to receive between 200 and 400 millimeters of rain, increasing the risk of major flooding and landslides, particularly in Zhejiang.
The arrival of Typhoon Dolphin came just two weeks after Typhoon Noul battered the southern province of Guangdong, which authorities at the time declared the strongest typhoon to hit China this year. Typhoon Noul had previously killed three people and damaged hundreds of homes in the Philippines before reaching China.
