Hundreds of Thousands Evacuated as SOULIK Hits China

Typhoon SOULIK hits China’s Fujian province

Up to half a million people were evacuated and thousands of soldiers deployed as SOULIK battered China’s southeastern Fujian province with winds of about 120 km/h and torrential rains.

The authorities cancelled scores of flights at Fuzhou’s Changle International Airport and suspended dozens of high-speed trains, reports said.

The typhoon, which struck Taiwan at 3:00am on Saturday, has reportedly caused severe damage to the island, killing or injuring dozens of people.

The full extent of damage was not yet reported, as of posting.

Extreme Rain Events have buffeted southwestern China triggering flash floods and landslides, which have affected million of people, and left hundreds dead or missing in the past few days.

Related Links

• Typhoon SOULIK to Dump 6 Billion Tons of Rain on Taiwan July 13, 2013
• Typhoon SOULIK Covers 1 Million Sq Km July 12, 2013
• SOULIK Continues to Gain Mass July 11, 2013
• Typhoon SOULIK Targets Taipei, Taiwan July 10, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

Typhoon SOULIK to Dump 6 Billion Tons of Rain on Taiwan

SOULIK Dumping an estimated 6 billion tons of rain on Taiwan Region

FIRE-EARTH estimates Typhoon SOULIK will have dumped at least 6 billion tons of precipitation on Taiwan region.

• Such tremendous amount of precipitation over  a short period of time could cause catastrophic flash floods and potentially deadly landslides.

Typhoon SOULIK – MTSAT Funktop IR satellite image enhancement – July 13, 2013 @ 00:32UTC. Funktop enhancement highlights intense areas of precipitation. Source: NOAA/SSD

High Probability of Landslides

Taiwan authorities have warned about potential disaster in the areas most prone to landslides.

“The central region of Taiwan has experienced two earthquakes with magnitude six or above on 27 March and 2 June, loose soil after seismic activities are potential disaster areas under heavy rainfall,” they warned in a statement.

China Landing

SOULIK is expected to make  landfall in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces on the Chinese mainland on Saturday PM, the local forecasters said.

Related Links

• Typhoon SOULIK Covers 1 Million Sq Km July 12, 2013
• SOULIK Continues to Gain Mass July 11, 2013
• Typhoon SOULIK Targets Taipei, Taiwan July 10, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale