Typhoon Dolphin barrels toward China’s east coast as flood alerts go up
BEIJING, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Typhoon Dolphin was bearing down on China’s east coast on Sunday, with forecasters warning of heavy rainfall and damaging winds as emergency teams fanned out across the region to guard against floods and landslides.
The storm, which already swept through Japan’s southern Okinawa island chain with gusts that injured six people and knocked out power to more than 50,000 homes, is expected to make landfall along China’s eastern shore overnight. In the run-up, local authorities moved offshore workers to safety, ordered fishing boats back to port and stepped up checks on reservoirs, mountain streams, construction sites and tourist areas.
China’s National Meteorological Centre said Dolphin was on track to come ashore Sunday evening into Monday with sustained winds of up to 162 km/h (101 mph) - the equivalent of a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale - before weakening as it pushes inland. That type of storm can cause significant damage to roofs, trees and power lines.
Heavy rain is expected through Aug. 10 across Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, central and southern Anhui, and much of Jiangsu. Forecasters said parts of central and eastern Zhejiang could receive 250 to 500 mm (9.8 to 19.7 inches) of rainfall, a total that would test the limits of drainage systems and small waterways.
After landfall, Dolphin is likely to track westward, slow over central and southwestern China and gradually lose energy, according to Wang Haiping, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre. That slower pace would prolong downpours and raise the risk of flash flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous terrain and along smaller rivers.
The water resources ministry said the Qiantang, Yong, Jiao and Shuiyang rivers could face major flooding, while smaller waterways in the hardest-hit areas might exceed warning levels. In a sign of the storm’s expected breadth, officials placed Zhejiang and Fujian under a Level III flood emergency response - the third-highest in China’s four-tier system - and Jiangsu and Anhui under Level IV. The emergency management ministry said it had sent response teams to Zhejiang and Fujian.
The natural resources ministry also activated a Level III geological-disaster response in Zhejiang and a Level IV response in Anhui, warning of landslides and other hazards in eastern Zhejiang and western Anhui. Residents in areas covered by a red mountain-torrent warning were told to follow local evacuation orders.
At Shanghai’s Yangshan port, one of the world’s busiest container hubs, vessels were ordered away from berths and more than 500 small and medium-sized ships were moved to sheltered anchorages, according to the city’s maritime safety administration.
The storm is the latest to test China’s disaster preparedness during a summer in which extreme weather has already brought record rainfall and deadly floods in several parts of the country. While coastal provinces are accustomed to typhoons, the combination of heavy cumulative rainfall and saturated soil raises the stakes for inland areas less accustomed to such intense storms.