Beijing [China], August 10 (ANI): Authorities in China have evacuated hundreds of thousands of people along the country’s east coast after Typhoon Dolphin made landfall, bringing heavy rain and flooding, state media reported Monday.
Xinhua reported that as of 7 a.m. local time Monday, about 167,900 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas on land and at sea in Fujian province. By late Sunday, Shanghai had evacuated approximately 215,600 people from areas considered at risk.
Dolphin was the 13th typhoon of the year and, according to China’s National Meteorological Centre (NMC), made two landfalls in Zhejiang province on Sunday.
Although authorities have downgraded Dolphin to a tropical storm, they continue to warn of torrential rain, severe flooding and landslides through Wednesday.
Authorities issued a blue typhoon warning Monday morning, forecasting persistent heavy rainfall through Wednesday in areas including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan and Hebei. Some areas are expected to experience torrential rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, Xinhua reported.
The storm traveled approximately 6,000 kilometers before making landfall, suggesting a lifespan more than three times that of an average typhoon, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
Chinese state media, citing the NMC, reported that the remnants of the typhoon are expected to move northward beginning Thursday and interact with cold air, bringing significant rainfall to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Liaoning.
Meteorological experts warned that the typhoon could increase the risk of flooding and other disasters in some areas, calling for strengthened defenses against geological disasters and flooding in small and medium-sized rivers.
Beijing’s flood control authorities said the city plans to activate a Level II flood response Tuesday morning.
Dolphin also brought torrential rains to the Philippines, parts of northern Taiwan and Japan’s Okinawa island before making landfall in China.
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