A red alert has been declared in China as powerful
typhoon Lekima heads towards the eastern coast.
Typhoon Lekima is currently battering Taiwan with winds of more than 120mph
and is due to make landfall in China’s Zhejiang province on August 10.
Emergency teams have been deployed to the region to guide relief work,
China’s emergency ministry said.
Thousands of people further up the coast in Shanghai have been warned to
prepare to evacuate.
Lekima, which is the ninth typhoon so far this year, strengthened into a
super typhoon late on August 7, but Taiwanese authorities have since downgraded
it to a regular typhoon.
Flood warnings have been issued for eastern sections of China’s Yangtze
River and the Yellow River until August 7. The provinces of Jiangsu and
Shandong are also on alert.
Cruise liners have been told to delay their arrival in Shanghai and some train
services have been suspended over the weekend.
China has also canceled some trains heading to and from the Yangtze delta
region.
Lekima is one of two typhoons in the western Pacific at the moment. Further
east, Typhoon Krosa is spreading heavy rain across the Northern Mariana Islands
and Guam. According to forecaster, it is moving north-west and could strike
Japan sometime next week.
On August 9, Lekima was passing the north of Taiwan, causing flight cancelations
and the closures of schools and offices.
According to local media, power was cut to more than 40,000 homes and the
island’s high speed rail service was suspended north of the city of Taichung
The huge storm came a day after eastern Taiwan was rattled by a 6.0
magnitude earthquake. Experts said the risks of landslides triggered by the
tremor were made more likely by the typhoon dumping up to 35 inches of rain on
Taiwan’s northern mountains.
On August 9, Lekima also brought heavy rain and high winds to south-west
Japan, cutting power to about 14,000 homes, broadcaster NHK reported.
China’s weather bureau said typhoon Lekima was expected to have weakened further by the time it made landfall. The country has a four-stage color-coded warning system, with red representing the most severe weather.
Typhoon Mangkhut hit the Philippines’ main island on September 15 killing at least 25 people.
Extensive crop damage is feared in the agricultural province of Cagayan.
Mangkhut, which packs a 550 mile rain band and strong winds, is heading towards southern China.
The storm poses a “severe threat” to Hong Kong, the territory’s observatory said, urging residents to stay on high alert.
In the Philippines, Mangkhut made landfall at Baggao, in the north-east of the main island of Luzon, at about 01:40 local time on September 15 and left some 20 hours later.
Originally a super typhoon billed as the strongest storm of 2018, Mangkhut lost some of its strength on landfall.
Five million people were in its path and more than 100,000 sheltered in temporary centers.
A presidential spokesman and disaster response coordinator said almost all the deaths had been caused by landslides in the Cordillera and Nueva Vizcaya regions, adding that reports from other areas were still coming in.
One person was killed by a falling tree in the province of Ilocos Sur, he said.
Almost all buildings in the city of Tuguegarao, Cagayan’s provincial capital, sustained damage, a government official said.
The Philippines is routinely hit during the typhoon season but the strength of Manghukt evoked memories of the deadliest storm on national record – Super Typhoon Haiyan – which killed more than 7,000 five years ago.
However, preparation and evacuation procedures have been improved since then – warnings were issued, travel was restricted, schools shut and the army was put on standby in advance.
Mangkhut is still strong as it heads west toward southern China with current sustained wind speeds of 90mph but fears it will re-strengthen into a super typhoon have receded.
Typhoon Koppu has hit the northern Philippines forcing thousands of people to leave their homes.
According to local reports, homes have been flattened and power lines toppled.
Typhoon Koppu made landfall near the town of Casiguran on the island of Luzon on Sunday morning, October 18.
It brought winds of close to 124mph and whipped up coastal surges 12ft high.
Three days of torrential rain has been predicted, triggering major flooding and possibly landslides.
Alexander Pama, head of the government’s main disaster agency, said 10,000 people had been displaced in north-eastern Luzon but no casualties had been reported so far.
“Initially, we are getting [reports that] many houses were destroyed, power lines toppled and trees blocking major roads,” he said.
The eye of the storm was moving west at a speed of just 2mph.
“It has slowed almost to a crawl. We were hoping it would speed up and spare us sooner,” Alexander Pama added.
Flights and ferry services in the north have been cancelled and some bus services in mountain areas suspended due to the threat of landslides.
Typhoon Koppu, also known as Lando, is up to 400 miles across and producing winds of up to 155mph. It is slow moving, meaning it could bring intense rain over a long period of time.
Rain has also reached the capital Manila, though winds are not expected to be strong enough there to cause damage.
In his TV address, President Benigno Aquino urged the estimated six million people in the typhoon’s direct path to listen to government warnings and be ready to evacuate their homes if necessary.
He said aid agencies had already distributed emergency supplies to evacuation centers.
Meanwhile, the Philippine military in northern Luzon has been placed on alert for disaster operations.
Typhoon Koppu is not due to leave the Philippines until October 20, when it will be heading towards Taiwan.
Typhoon Soudelor has hit Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rain, leaving at least four people dead.
The powerful typhoon – with winds of more than 142mph – made landfall on the eastern coast early on Saturday and is now moving across the island.
Soudelor is ripping up trees and tearing down billboards, and triggered a landslide in at least one village.
About two million households have been left without electricity.
Rail services and flights have been cancelled and all schools and offices closed.
According to Taiwan’s weather bureau, the typhoon is moving north-west, gradually losing its strength.
Among the victims were an eight-year-old girl and her mother who were swept out to sea.
Ahead of Soudelour’s arrival, the authorities evacuated thousands of people from their homes.
Typhoon Soudelor is later expected to move into the Taiwan Strait and on to mainland China.
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