Typhoon Dolphin Floods Shanghai, Evacuates More Than One Million in China

Typhoon Dolphin swept through eastern China as it weakened into a tropical storm while continuing to soak provinces including Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong, after making landfall in Yuhuan, Zhejiang with maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometres per hour (94mph).

“maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometres per hour (94mph)”

Al Jazeera

The National Meteorological Center activated a “red alert – the highest level in the country’s typhoon warning system” as Dolphin approached, and more than a million people were evacuated from their homes.

ABC News

Shanghai’s two airports cancelled a total of 943 flights due to the typhoon, reducing capacity by nearly 40 percent, state broadcaster CCTV said.

By Monday, Dolphin’s impact included flooded streets in Shanghai, with authorities urging residents to work from home and avoid going outside where possible.

In Wenling, Zhejiang, search and rescue crews were searching for a nine-year-old boy who was swept into the sea during the storm, local media said.

Chinese authorities evacuated more than a million people from homes in eastern China including Shanghai as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall, and they continued to warn of torrential rains, severe flooding and the risk of landslides through to Wednesday.

The BBC reported that Dolphin packed maximum wind speeds of 150km/h (94mph) when it first slammed into Yuhuan in Zhejiang at 17:30 (09:30 GMT) on Sunday before making a second landfall in Wenzhou about an hour later. B

ABC News

In Shanghai, nearly 1,000 flights were cancelled on Monday, and the BBC said governments urged people to avoid outdoor activities while several top tourist attractions remained closed, including parts of Disneyland and Legoland. B

The Guardian said Dolphin made landfall near Yuhuan in Zhejiang at about 5:30pm (0930 GMT) on Sunday and brought maximum sustained winds of 94mph (151 km/h) near its centre at landfall.

The Guardian also quoted chief forecaster Wang Haiping telling CCTV that Dolphin was forecast to track westward before slowing over central and south-western China and gradually losing strength, a path that could prolong heavy rain and increase the risk of flooding and landslides.

As Dolphin moved inland, authorities in the capital Beijing raised warnings for torrential rain and said the city was prepared to activate its flood control response on Tuesday morning, with expected “significant rainfall” from Tuesday until Thursday.

“Chinese officials have not reported any casualties”

BBC

The BBC said Chinese officials had not reported any casualties, while it also noted that eight people had died in the Philippines because of heavy monsoon rains brought on by Dolphin and storms earlier in the week. B

In Japan’s Okinawa, the BBC reported that five elderly people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and it said three of them fell because of the strong winds. B

The AP reported that Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports cancelled more than 900 flights, or about 40% of those expected, after about 1,300 were cancelled the day before, according to Shanghai Airport Group.

The AP also described how Dolphin did not directly hit the Philippines but helped intensify seasonal monsoon rains that set off flooding and landslides on Luzon, including a landslide that buried three houses in Baguio and killed five people with at least five others missing.