Mass Evacuations in Chinese Island Floods

EXTREME RAIN EVENT

150,000 people forced to flee their homes in Hainan, S. China

Extreme Rain Events have triggered severe flooding swamping villages and townships in south China’s Hainan Province since Friday, local authorities said on Sunday, reported Xinhua.

Total rainfall of about 510 mm fell on parts of Wanning City in Hainan, with an average of 300 mm in eight townships surrounding the city, said the report.

Authorities used speedboats to evacuate local residents from inundated areas.

“Hainan Meteorological Service said the rain is expected to last through Monday in the east of the province. It said the weather poses challenges for rescue work and warned of floods and landslides in rain-battered areas.”

Original caption: Local residents tansport belongings in a flooded area in Wanning City, south China’s Hainan Province, Dec. 15, 2013. Heavy rain continued to hit Wanning City from Friday night to Sunday. A total of 80,000 residents have been transferred to safe regions. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongfeng). More images…

Typhoon UTOR Strikes S China; 158,000 Evacuated

UTOR made landfall in south China’s Guangdong Province after killing 6 in the Philippiens

UTOR, the 11th typhoon to strike China so far this year, struck western Guangdong with Wednesday afternoon with winds of more than 151 km/hr per hour.

Officials had already evacuated more than 158,000 people in southern China provinces of Guangdong and Hainan as a precautionary measure ahead of the typhoon’s arrival, according to local meteorological authorities.

A “Red Wave Warning” concerning the storm surges remained in effect on Wednesday, said the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center.

“Waves up to 5.5 meters high were monitored around the center of the typhoon early Wednesday. Waves up to 9 meters are expected to appear in the northern part of the South China Sea from Wednesday noon to evening,” said the report.

Related Links

• Typhoon UTOR Batters Northern Philippines August 12, 2013

Typhoon CONSON Death Toll Rises to 72

CONSON Leaves 72 dead with at least 95 others missing in the Philippines and Vietnam

Typhoon CONSON (Basyang) claimed 68 lives in the Philippines with another 84 people reported missing. Up to 30,000 homes were reportedly destroyed or damaged.

At least 2 people were also killed in China, and 2 in Vietnam with 11 others reported as missing.

“Conson slammed into the country on Tuesday, directly hitting the capital Manila as it cut westward into the South China Sea with a ferocity that caught weather forecasters by surprise.” AFP reported.

Bystanders look at the body of a dead fisherman in Mariveles, Bataan. Credit: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

Typhoon CONSON lost most of it ferocity, slamming into  northern Vietnam as a tropical storm late Saturday, having pummeled the Philippines and the Chinese island of Hainan earlier in the week. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the north of Vietnam.

CONSON is downgraded to a tropical depression, but should continue to dump more rain in the mountainous areas in the north  of Vietnam causing flash floods and landslides for another 48 to 72 hours.

Related Links:

• CONSON Restrengthens to Typhoon Force
• Tropical Storm Conson Moves West
• Typhoon CONSON Strikes The Philippines
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale