China issued its second-highest weather warning yesterday as Typhoon Nepartak made landfall in the country’s east with heavy rains and winds of up to 100kph, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The typhoon hit as China attempted to recover from severe flooding, hail and landslides that have ravaged areas along the Yangtze River and its tributaries since June 30, according to the report.
More than 420,000 people were relocated from four cities in China’s eastern provinces, according to estimates cited by Xinhua.
The severe weather has led to the collapse of thousands of houses and damaged 710,000 hectares of farmland, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, with losses recently estimated at 9.1bn yuan ($1.37bn).
China’s meteorological authority issued an orange severe weather warning for heavy rain in the eastern provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi and Zhejiang and the central provinces of Shanxi and Sichuan yesterday and today.
The National Meteorological Authority advised those living in affected areas to take precautions against flooding and landslides and to seek safety away from mountainous areas, according to Xinhua.
The city of Putian declared an emergency after 250mm of rain fell in just four hours yesterday morning, Xinhua reported.
Nearly 400 flights were cancelled as five airports were closed, while more than 33,000 fishing boats were fleeing stormy weather in ports.
In addition, 341 trains and almost 5,000 buses were cancelled as flights and boats to Taiwan were also suspended.
Three people died and dozens were injured after Nepartak hit Taiwan on Friday.
Taiwan’s Prime Minister Lin Chuan visited the hardest-hit area of Taitung on the southeast coast of the island and met soldiers assisting with the clean-up efforts.
Some 20,000 households were still without electricity in the city yesterday and 8,000 had no running water, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.
This image taken with a cameraphone shows cars and buses being washed away yesterday by floodwaters in Fuzhou, in eastern China’s Fujian province.
