Typhoon Dolphin in China: Over 1 million evacuated, flights cancelled, flood alerts issued | What we know so far
Typhoon Dolphin weakened after making landfall in eastern China, but heavy rain, flooding and the risk of landslides continued to disrupt parts of the country
Typhoon Dolphin weakened after making landfall in eastern China, but heavy rain, flooding and the risk of landslides continued to disrupt parts of the country on Monday, with authorities evacuating more than a million people. The storm made landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. According to the AP, Dolphin made landfall in Taizhou with winds of 151 kph (93 mph). China's Meteorological Centre (NMC) issued its least severe typhoon alert on Monday morning after the weather system weakened. However, the agency warned that parts of eastern and central China would continue to experience heavy rain over the following day. More than 1 million people evacuated Authorities across eastern China moved more than a million people to safety ahead of and during the storm.
The port city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang relocated more than 900,000 people and opened more than 1,500 emergency shelters, state broadcaster CCTV reported, according to AFP. More than 150,000 people were also evacuated in Fujian province, while more than 200,000 were moved in Shanghai, Xinhua reported. The AP reported that more than 300,000 people had been pre-emptively relocated before the typhoon reached China. Also Read | Typhoon Dolphin Makes Landfall in East China After Red Alert Flights cancelled, transport disrupted Dolphin caused widespread disruption to air and public transport services. Shanghai's two main passenger airports cancelled 943 flights, according to the airport authority, AFP reported. The two airports had cancelled more than 1,300 flights before the typhoon hit. Public transport services, including several local train services in Shanghai, were suspended.
Some transport services began returning to normal on Monday. Ningbo International Airport in Zhejiang resumed flight operations from midday, although it warned that some flights could still be delayed or cancelled as the effects of the storm had not completely dissipated. Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, also resumed subway services on Monday after suspending some operations the previous day. Also Read | China Issues Red Alert, Airports Cancel Flights as Typhoon Nears Flood and landslide alerts issued Despite Dolphin weakening, authorities continued to warn of flooding and landslides. The NMC warned that heavy rain would continue across parts of eastern and central China. Authorities also issued their highest-level flash flood alert for parts of eastern and southern Zhejiang, CCTV reported. The AP reported that authorities in Yueqing, a city in Zhejiang, searched for people trapped in flooded homes and began clearing debris and broken branches from streets.
The BriefWire