FITOW Turns Deadly

Typhoon FITOW: two dead; 574,000 evacuated, 177,000 displaced; homes destroyed; power cut off to millions

Typhoon FITOW made landfall in east China’s Fujian Province early Monday, with winds of up to 201 km per hour, China’s National Meteorological Center said.

As of Monday, FITOW had claimed at least two lives, forcing 574,000 people to evacuate and 35,795 vessels to return to harbor for shelter, said a report.

FITOW, the 23rd typhoon to hit China this year, continued to move northwest weakening rapidly, said the center. Authorities issued a “Red Alert,” China’s highest weather warning, on Sunday.

“Rainstorm and winds up to 201 km per hour slashed Cangnan County and the Nanji Island Township, and some houses collapsed in the county, said the Wenzhou flood control headquarters,” the report said.

Some 177,000 people have been displaced In Fujian province, and about 30,000 fishing boats called to shore for shelter.

“The typhoon has caused suspension of bullet trains in several cities in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi and halted services on at least 35 lines that pass cities on the typhoon route, including services between Beijing and Nanjing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Xiamen,” said the report.

The typhoon also forced he “suspension of bullet trains in several cities in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi and halted services on at least 35 lines that pass cities on the typhoon route, including services between Beijing and Nanjing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Xiamen.”

Dozens of flights from Zhejiang Province including flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Kunming weer cancelled, and  coach services between Shanghai and Wenzhou were also suspended on Sunday.

Typhoon USAGI, the 19th typhoon of the year, killed dozens of people in southern Guangdong province, destroying at least 7,100 homes and causing direct economic losses of 3.24 billion yuan ($529.5 million) late September.

Related Links

• Typhoon FITOW Forces Hundreds of Thousands of Evacuations October 6, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Chased by Cyclone DANAS October 5, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Makes Minor Detour October 4, 2013
• Two Cyclones Moving Toward Japan October 1, 2013
• WUTIP Hammers Central Vietnam October 1, 2013
• Typhoon WUTIP Headed for Vietnam, Laos, Thailand September 29, 2013
• USAGI Disaster Update: 25 Dead; 7,100 Homes Destroyed September 23, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale September 3, 2008
• Satellite Imagery