The authority issued its highest-level disaster warning, and President Xi Jinping convened a meeting to discuss flood control and disaster relief strategies.
Typhoon Gaemi has hit mainland China, leaving a trail of destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines. Over 150,000 residents in Fujian province have been evacuated to safer areas as the storm approaches. Prior to reaching China, Gaemi caused widespread flooding and landslides in Taiwan and the Philippines, resulting in at least 21 fatalities.
In the Philippines, efforts are underway to contain an oil spill following the capsizing of a tanker carrying 1.5 million litres of industrial fuel. The incident occurred when two ships sank in the region, one off the southwest coast of Taiwan. In response, China issued its highest-level disaster warning, and President Xi Jinping convened a meeting to discuss flood control and disaster relief strategies.
Train services in Fujian have been suspended, and authorities in northern China have issued warnings about potential landslides and flooding due to heavy rains. The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters highlighted the high risk of natural disasters. China is currently experiencing a summer marked by unpredictable weather, with heavy rains in the east and south and extreme heat in the north.
Gaemi is following a similar path to Typhoon Doksuri, which caused significant flooding in northern China last year. In Taiwan, a cleanup operation is underway after the island was hit by its largest typhoon in eight years, with rainfall exceeding 1,000 mm in some areas. The storm left parts of Kaohsiung under more than a meter of water and claimed three lives. Efforts are ongoing to find six missing Burmese sailors after their cargo ship sank off Taiwan’s northern coast.
China: Typhoon Gaemi wreaks havoc after causing deaths in Philippines
